Keeping Things Creative in an AI World

Thursday 13 Nov 2025 - 12:30
Anthony Burgess Foundation
Runtime: 75 mins (approx.)

The idea of including AI in digital animation workflows has shifted from an avoidable option to an ever-present integration. Rapid change raises pressing issues, such as how to prioritise and safeguard artists. Which structures can guarantee moral behaviour? And how can individuals and studios improve their skills without sacrificing their creative vision? This panel brings together industry experts to discuss pressing issues, break down hybrid workflows, and share practical steps for working ethically in a rapidly changing landscape. Join us as we ensure the creatives stay at the centre of this evolving industry.

This event is supported by:

Guests

Daniel Efergan

Daniel is a creative director with over 25 years of experience exploring the murky edges of emerging platforms within the entertainment industry. Daniel was Executive Creative Director at Aardman Animations for many of those years, developing interactive and immersive works - from early socials to console games - and leading innovation within the company. He’s recently dedicated his full attention to working out how frontier technologies are changing the way humans create, simultaneously amazed and worried how automation, fragmentation and democratisation are changing both artist and industry.

Florian Block

Florian Block is R&D Lead for AI and Immersive at dock10, the UK's leading TV facility operator. He is responsible for developing dock10’s adoption of emerging creative technologies, with a focus on AI and immersive content production. Working across industry and academia, Florian has directed major R&D initiatives at the intersection of AI, immersive technologies and creative practice. Florian is also Professor of Digital Creativity at the University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies, where he focuses on translational research in creative AI, game technologies and immersive content production.

Vasil Shotarov

Vasil is the Lead R&D Engineer at Blue Zoo, where he focuses on automation, improving workflows and staying on the bleeding edge of animation technology, which increasingly includes AI. Vasil also has 8 years previous experience in rigging for a variety of Blue Zoo shows including Superworm, The Adventures of Paddington and LEGO City No Limits.

Alexandra Balazs

Alexandra is Managing Director at Prolific North. She has been at Prolific North for over six years, following a career in events and executive education working with the University of Salford, and major brands like Mercedes Benz and MINI while at the Dubai-based events agency Nomad. She leverages this diverse experience to connect Prolific North's audience with valuable content in an ever-changing media landscape.