One of the core aims of the AI Lens project is to understand how people collectively make sense of the world they are shaping with AI.

Richard Ramchurn recently hosted a hands-on workshop with 36 second-year students from Nottingham Trent’s Production Design for TV and Film course. These students have been set a brief to create a set that will be used in the production of a film using the AI LENS system in February 2026. The session focused :

1. Generating insights into how the AI Lens tool can support creative processes.
2. Helping students advance their own projects while reflecting on AI’s role in creativity.

The students were initially asked for their thoughts on the use of AI within the creative industry. They expressed concerns about AI’s impact on creative ownership, privacy, and the fear of technology replacing human roles.

The workshop began with a collaborative activity, followed by a series of imaginative exercises using AI Lens. Students listened to pre-selected field recordings to spark their imagination and then with AI LENS created visual scenarios, A, grizzly bear attacking a spaceship, or two Victorian ladies riding a carriage, some used puppeteering with their hands to portray horses!

Following the workshop, the students were interviewed and early findings have already helped identify gaps and opportunities for the AI Lens project.

Richard has since hosted the first of  two Embodied Storytelling with AI Lens workshops on the 25th of November (the second takes place on the 12^th of December). These workshops aim to bring together filmmakers, artists, and moving-image practitioners to explore the interplay between human performance, technology, and narrative, pushing the boundaries of storytelling.

Excitingly, two filmmakers from these workshops will have the opportunity to develop and produce a film using AI Lens, collaborating closely with researchers to shape this innovative creative tool.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore how AI can transform storytelling and creative practice!