Media in Motion II: Shaping AI for Critical Creative Futures

Artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated every dimension of contemporary life, and its influence is perhaps nowhere more visible than in contemporary media.

Media in Motion II: Shaping AI for Critical Creative Futures explores how AI shapes and is shaped by creativity, knowledge production, and civic life. Rather than viewing AI simply as a technical tool, the symposium adopts a sociotechnical lens to examine how it functions as a cultural form, transforming urban spaces, storytelling, journalism, community engagement, social interaction, public discourse, and democratic participation. Participants will engage with both AI’s possibilities and its disruptions.

This festival will bring together scholars, artists, and practitioners from peer institutions, media industries, and the Northeastern community, featuring presentations, panel discussions, hands-on workshops, a film screening, and an exhibition of interactive media artwork. Participants will leave with a richer understanding of how we can be active agents in shaping AI — and how, in turn, it will shape our critical and creative futures.

This event is co-sponsored by the Internet Democracy Initiative and supported by the Mass Cultural Council’s Creative Experiences Grant.