Skip to main content
Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI)
  1. Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI)
  2. News & Events
  3. News
  4. Items

DERI Professor secures 275K Grant from the AHRC BRAID Programme

Professor David Leslie and Dr Aoife Monks will lead for Queen Mary on the newly funded AHRC BRAID Programme Award focused on Generative AI's impact on creative industries.

Published:

Professor David Leslie, Professor of Ethics, Technology, and Society at the Digital Environment Research Institute, and Dr Aoife Monks, Reader in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies, School of English and Drama, and the Director of the new Queen Mary Centre for Arts, Culture, and Creative Collaboration (AC&C), lead CREAATIF, a project tackling the crucial issue of Generative AI's (GenAI) impact on creative industries. Funded with £275,000, it directly engages creative workers to assess impacts on their fundamental rights and working conditions in the face of these new technologies. The project fosters partnership between The Alan Turing Institute, University of the Arts London, and the Institute for the Future of Work, and crucial creative industry project partners, ensuring that diverse creative voices shape AI policy planning. 

Highlights of CREAATIF: 

  • Focus on GenAI's impact on creative work: Understanding the specific challenges and opportunities GenAI presents for creative professionals. 
  • Worker-centric approach: Empowering creative workers to shape the future of their industry through co-developed impact assessments. 
  • Building on established frameworks: Leveraging existing frameworks like the Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law Assurance Framework for AI Systems (HUDERIA), and the Good Work Algorithmic Impact Assessment (GWAIA) to ensure responsible and ethical AI development. 

Professor Leslie warns that the quick rush to market generative AI could threaten entire creative communities. "We urgently need to understand and mitigate these impacts, protecting the integrity of creative work," he emphasises. CREAATIF tackles this challenge by putting creators at the forefront, assessing the societal effects of GenAI with their direct input. By empowering them to shape their own digital future, we ensure opportunities for the artists of tomorrow to thrive and contribute to their communities." 

This is one of ten scoping projects funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UKRI, under the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) Programme. 

Further details can be found in the UKRI announcement: https://www.ukri.org/news/100m-boost-in-ai-research-will-propel-transformative-innovations/ 

 

 

Back to top