Future Edge: Ethical AI in the Creative Industries

Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, and Coimisiún na Meán are excited to announce the next call for applicants for our flagship Future Edge programme.

Future Edge will support leaders across the cultural and creative sectors to better understand and implement best practices in Ethical AI & Data Protection in the Creative Industries. These workshops will not showcase specific applications/software tools, but rather explores safeguards and responsible use of AI tools in any area of your business.

This programme is supported by Coimisiún na Meán and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme.

Structure

• The programme will open with a two-day in-person session on Tuesday 20th and Tuesday 27th of October at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8, covering the latest developments in ethical AI in the creative industries.
• This will be followed by 3 online evening sessions on 10th and 24th of November, details below, where participants can attend all or select sessions, depending on their areas of interest:
  • October 20th & 27th: Ethical AI in Creative Industries
  • November 10th: 18.00 to 21.00 – AI & Sustainability
  • November 17th: 18.00 to 21.00 – HR, Organisational Culture & GEDI (Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Age of AI
  • November 24th: 18.00 to 21.00 – AI in Business Operations & Decision-Making
• Finally, individual consultations for each participant will be available after the programme is complete.

Overview

Over a series of in-person and online workshops for Future Edge in 2023, 2024, 2025 and earlier in 2026 we engaged with individuals in leadership, management and executive roles across the screen industries. Past participants included Cartoon Saloon, Element Pictures, Fishamble Theatre, Black Shamrock, Screen Producers Ireland, Animation Ireland, StoryToys, Sow You Entertainment, Jam Media, Great Island Productions, Keeper Pictures (formerly Blinder Films), Danú Media, Metropolitan Films, Raising Films, Virgin Media, Wild Atlantic Pictures, Piranha Bar and others.

These two days on AI, the ethics of AI, and its applications within the creative industries was genuinely insightful; I found the discussion particularly engaging, and it sparked a lot of interesting thoughts about the future of creative work. The practical takeaway is I feel empowered to draft a public statement for my company regarding its current position on AI.

- Orlaith Fitzgerald, Screen Producer Ireland

AI and policies surrounding its use are something of a minefield to us. The Future Edge AI strand was extremely helpful and Sana’s knowledge and experience was invaluable and extremely well communicated. It was also great to be in a room with other people from all departments, who have the same concerns and queries.  

- Ciara Bresnihan, Head of Production, Animo TV

The Future Edge programme gave us space and time to develop meaningful policies for our business. The course provided a breadth of experience from the programme tutors, combined with practical insights into our own unique workflows and relationships. 

- Jonathan Clarke, Producer, Distillery Films

Course Profile

Foundation Workshop: Ethical AI in Creative Industries (2 Days)

Tuesday 20th & Tuesday 27th, of October 2026, 10am to 5pm, in person at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8

• Understanding what AI is and the types of AI risk
• Current and emerging AI developments
• AI ethics frameworks
• Bias mitigation, transparency, explainability and accountability considerations
• AI in Employment and Workforce Change
• Human Oversight and Creative Integrity
• Creative rights, copyright and authorship challenges
• Data governance, privacy, cybersecurity and GDPR requirements
• Legal and regulatory developments including the EU AI Act, UK and US
• Applied exercises and case studies
• Procurement, Vendor Assessment and Due Diligence
• Guided drafting, review and refinement of organisational AI statements
• Guided principles to incorporate for AI usage by creative industry professionals (whether as a productivity tool or as a creative function)

Delivery will continue to emphasise discussion-based learning, reflecting participant feedback from 2025 and 2026 requiring more time for:

• Privacy and GDPR explained in more detail and with more time
• A risk-based approach to AI 3
• IP and licensing
• International regulatory divergence
• Real-world compliance modelling

Specialist Workshops (1/2 Day Each)

Note 1: At the point of registration, participants will be asked to confirm which workshop(s) they intend to attend so that final delivery planning can be aligned with demand. Participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions or topics of interest in advance, which will be incorporated into the workshop discussions and learning activities.

Note 2: To ensure an engaging learning environment, each half-day workshop will require a minimum of five registered participants. If any workshop falls below this number, it may be combined with another related workshop and delivered as a joint session. In such cases, Workshops 1 and 2 may be delivered as a single combined session, and Workshops 3 and 4 may be combined where appropriate.

Participants may attend all or select based on relevance:

1. AI & Sustainability
   Tuesday 10th of November – 6pm to 9pm

• Understanding the environmental impact of AI systems
• Carbon footprint considerations
• Sustainable AI principles and responsible technology procurement
• Balancing innovation with environmental, social and governance (ESG) obligations
• Practical applications of AI to support sustainability initiatives in scheduling and logistics
• Case studies from film, animation, games, live events and digital production
• Assessing sustainability claims and avoiding “greenwashing” in AI tools and vendor marketing

2. HR, Organisational Culture & GEDI (Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Age of AI (Delivered in conjunction with Eoghan Nihill)
   Tuesday 17th of November – 6pm to 9pm

• AI in HR Decision-Making
• Bias, Fairness & Algorithmic Discrimination
• The GDPR, EU AI Act, Equality Law & Employment Regulation
• Data Protection for People Data
• Workforce Rights and Ethical Use of AI
• AI and Organisational Culture
• GEDI (Gender, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion)
• Responsible Use in Learning, Development & Skills Planning
• Policy, Governance & Practical Guardrails

3. AI in Business Operations & Decision-Making (Delivered in conjunction with Eoghan Nihill)
   Tuesday 24th November – 6pm to 9pm

• Where AI can support business operations and leadership decisions
• Human oversight: When AI should assist versus automate
• Data quality, integrity and governance requirements
• Compliance considerations (GDPR, automated decision-making rules, EU AI Act)
• Evaluating AI vendors and tools using due diligence frameworks
• Ethical governance, transparency and accountability for deployed tools
• Change management considerations and supporting staff adoption
• Real-world case studies from creative sector workflows

All workshops will include:

• Detailed PPT for future references
• Template clauses drawn from the complete AI & Privacy Toolkit
• Template questionnaires
• Checklists
• Practical tools
• Worked examples

One-to-One Consultation Sessions

Each participant receives:

• Tailored advice on implementation, risk mitigation and governance
• Support applying Toolkit templates directly to their own contracts and policies
  
  Sessions must be redeemable within 1 month of programme conclusion.

A separate, dedicated workshop on the Future Edge Creative Sector AI & Privacy Toolkit is also available to current Future Edge participants and 2025 and earlier 2026 Future Edge alumni.

Participant Profile

This programme is designed for individuals in leadership/management/HOD/Supervisor roles with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a company/organisation.

The nature of the company’s business should include, but is not limited to: Animation, Visual Effects, Games, Film, TV, Documentary, Post-Production, Immersive Technologies, AR/VR, Virtual Production, Digital Media, Entertainment Events, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts.

Cost

 €250 per person

Dates and Times of Course

Tuesday 20th October – in -person – 10.00 – 17.00
Tuesday 27th October – in-person – 10.00 – 17.00
Tuesday 10th November – online – 10.00 – 13.00 – Workshop 1
Tuesday 10th November – online – 14.00 – 17.00 – Workshop 2
Tuesday 24th November – online – 18.00 – 21.00 – Workshop 3

Application Procedure

Please apply on the Cultural and Creative Industries Skillnet website by the deadline on Monday, 5th October 2026, noon.