The gateway to European audiovisual heritage

Search in:

EUscreen Symposium 2024: Consolidating the Use of AI in Academia, Archives and Media

December is the month of celebration for many reasons. Saint Nicholas, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve.. But if you’re part of the audiovisual community you also look forward to the festive month because that means it’s once again time for the annual EUscreen Symposium! This year we were guests in the beautiful city of Barcelona. EUscreen co-hosted the symposium with long-term network partner CCMA – 3Cat, the local broadcasting and archival institution for Catalunya. The symposium focused on the responsible use of AI in audiovisual archives and invited many experts from the field to share in their experiences and recommendations. Take a look back with us at all that we learned and all that we enjoyed together as a network.

Keep a Cool Head

We kicked off the symposium with the insightful Keynote by Susan Aasman (University of Groningen). Susan explored the promises and challenges presented by AI within the research workflows of scholars utilising audiovisual platforms and research infrastructures. While advancements in AI are rapidly transforming archival and research practices, Susan emphasises that it is crucial to situate these developments within their historical context. By reflecting on our current position, the trajectory that brought us here, and the possible directions ahead, we can better assess the role of AI in shaping the future of research. [download powerpoint]

© EUscreen

Rewatch the keynote

AI in Archival Practice

Following the keynote we dived immediately into the first of four panels, namely AI in Archival Practice, chaired by EUscreen Foundation Chair, Johan Oomen. Valentine Charles (Europeana Foundation) kicked off the panel discussion by presenting her insights into data curation and enrichment. At Europeana there are many creative experiments being conducted in the data space around AI, such as metadata enrichment and detecting and correcting bias. [download powerpoint] Valentine was followed by Virginia Bazán-Gil (University of Zaragoza) who told us all about the collaboration between RTVE and researchers around applications of AI in the archive. This important collaboration with academia has taught RTVE how AI fits into their workflows, into the archival culture, and into the technological structure of the organisation. [download powerpoint] We thirdly got to hear from Xavier Lemarchand (Institut national de l’audiovisuel (INA)) who told us about his transparent and educational approach to media content analysis with AI. With the help of three different AI tools, INA managed to analyse 700,000 hours of footage from 20 media providers in 5 years time. [download powerpoint] We concluded this first elaborate panel with the input from Rafa Bermúdez (CCMA) and Joan Lluis Mas Albaiges (Eurecat). Rafa and Joan explained to us how they’re building AI-driven video summarisation tools. The necessity for this tool came from both the newsroom as from the content department, making it usable for journalists, archivists, and content creators alike. [download powerpoint]

© EUscreen

Rewatch the panel

Intellectual Property Rights and AI

After a short coffee break it is time for the final panel of day one; Intellectual Property Rights and AI, chaired by Maja Drabczyk. This panel managed to take a topic most people would often like to avoid, namely copyright, and created an incredibly engaging, understandable, and dynamic session. Together with Brigitte Vezina (Creative Commons), Alessandra Luciano (Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg), and Kristofer Erikson (CREATe, Glasgow University), Maja explored the complexities of copyright law as it intersects with AI-generated content and the use of AI in managing and reproducing archival materials. With contributions from these experts in law and policymakers, discussions flowed on how AI is transforming archival practices and the audiovisual industry from the regulatory perspective.

© EUscreen

Rewatch the panel

Ethics and AI

After concluding day 1 with a wonderful social dinner (more on that later), we started day 2 bright and early with the ever important topic of ethics, chaired by Marco Rendina. The panel delved into the critical issues of responsible AI implementation in audiovisual archives and in cultural heritage at large. The first invited to speak was Karina Gibert (Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona) who analysed the European desire to promote the development of intelligent systems from an ethical perspective and the relationship between ethics and legality, as well as the implications of the territorial scope of these recommendations and regulations. We then once again go to hear from Rafa Bermúdez (CCMA) and Arnau Serra Pòrtulas (Government of Catalonia). Rafa and Arnau spoke about their combined contributions to the development of an AI-driven tool designed to generate video summaries from audiovisual content. The outcomes of the project were highly impressive, and the evaluation by subject-matter experts was equally positive. [download powerpoint] We concluded this morning panel with Kerstin Herlt (Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum) who spoke about her involvement in the DE-BIAS project, a project commissioned by the European Union to critically curate harmful language in cultural heritage collections with the help of AI. [download powerpoint]

© EUscreen

Rewatch the panel

Literacy, Heritage and AI

And then it was already time for the final session of the symposium; the panel on literacy, heritage and AI, chaired by Berber Hagedoorn. The panel explored how AI can be responsibly applied to the reuse of audiovisual archival materials, emphasising the need for AI literacy. We heard from Jorge Franganillo (University of Barcelona) who shared his work on how the use of AI to bring deceased personalities back to life in media offers captivating new ways to engage with history and archival material. However, these digital resurrections can blur the lines of reality, raising ethical and social concerns. Balancing technological innovation with clear ethical guidelines and promoting AI literacy among audiences is essential to maintain public trust and ensure responsible, respectful portrayals. Then it was time to hear from Jordi Vitrià (University of Barcelona) who explores how metaphors shape our understanding of AI. It begins by emphasising the power of metaphors in simplifying complex concepts and then introduces key metaphors, each offering a distinct perspective on AI. The third speaker was Airi Dordas (Domestic Data Streamers) who spoke about the incredibly emotion project Synthetic Memories. How can AI help preserve memories at risk of being lost as an act of care? The Synthetic Memories initiative exemplifies how technology, art, sociology, and ethics can intersect to challenge dominant narratives and create spaces where people feel seen and valued. [download powerpoint] The session was concluded with EUscreen’s own Marco Rendina (European Fashion Heritage Association) who spoke about the AI4Culture project. The project aims to collect useful technologies in an online capacity building hub – a user-friendly online platform – where they will be tested and made available to the public together with tutorials and best practices. [download powerpoint]

© EUscreen

Rewatch the panel

Colleagues and Friends

The annual EUscreen Symposium is not just there to learn about the most recent advancements and initiatives in the audiovisual field, EUscreen is also a large, warm and skilled network and has been since 2009. The symposium is a moment to share in thoughts and experiences with colleagues and friends, old and new. And on Monday evening we did just that with a lovely social dinner for all EUscreen members and conference attendees, speakers, and organisers. Accompanied by delicious tapas and local wine, we got to engage in insightful and informal conversation about our work, our experiences, and hopes for the future of our field. It was a moment where archives, academia, and media came together; the mission of the EUscreen Foundation. The EUscreen Board looks back on another wonderful symposium and we look forward to meeting you all again in 2025. Stay tuned! 

© EUscreen
Title
Date
Provider
Description