RETOLD at AIMI Conference 2025: Key Insights from the Frontlines of AI in Creativity
The AIMI Conference 2025 brought together industry leaders, creatives, and technologists to explore the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the creative sector. Key discussions revolved around the future of creativity, the shifting nature of work, and the role of AI in transforming everything from education to intellectual property rights. Here are some of the most important takeaways from the event.
The Growing Dependence on AI:
How AI is reshaping industries and workflows.
Navigating Ownership and Copyright in the AI Era:
Understanding the challenges around intellectual property rights.
Evolving Workplace Skillsets:
The shift in required skills as AI becomes a central tool in creative and professional fields.
The Power of Critical Thinking Over Technical Skill:
Why human judgment and analysis are crucial when working with AI.
AI Tailored to Your Needs:
How customised AI solutions are enhancing productivity and creativity.
The Future of Education in an AI-Driven World:
Rethinking traditional learning models as AI becomes an integral tool in the classroom.
Ownership in the AI Industry: The Copyright Debate
As AI continues to evolve, the question of copyright in the digital age is rapidly becoming one of the most controversial and complex issues within the creative industries. This is especially evident in the music industry, where AI's increasing use to replicate and remix existing copyrighted works has led to growing concern among artists and creators.
A newly proposed law would allow tech companies to use copyrighted material to train large language models (LLMs), which could then generate new content based on that existing work. This move has stirred outrage among creators, resulting in a silent protest album backed by over 1,000 artists. The album serves as a direct challenge to this legislation, questioning the fairness of allowing tech companies to use artists' works for profit without proper compensation or consent.
This debate raises serious questions about originality and ownership in an AI-driven world. If AI can use copyrighted work to generate new content, can we still claim ownership over creative ideas when AI can easily replicate or even improve upon them? As AI continues to reshape the creative landscape, there will be increasing calls for a reevaluation of copyright laws to reflect the evolving role AI plays in content creation.
At the conference, Daniel Bedingfield, a well-known artist, expressed a more positive outlook on AI's potential in the music industry but also highlighted the pressing need for stronger laws to protect musicians' rights.
Job Risk in the Creative Industry: Navigating the Shift
One of the most discussed topics at the conference was the fear of job losses in the creative industry due to AI automation. As AI continues to grow more powerful, many of the tasks traditionally handled by junior creatives are becoming automated. What once served as valuable stepping stones for newcomers—such as routine tasks and administrative work—can now be done faster and more efficiently by AI tools.
For senior creatives, this means less reliance on entry-level support and a shift towards using AI for time-saving tasks, which ultimately reduces costs. However, while AI is reshaping workflows, it does not replace the human elements of creativity, critical thinking, and storytelling that are still essential in the industry.
The key takeaway for emerging creatives is to adapt by focusing on high-level problem-solving and conceptual thinking, areas where AI cannot replace human intuition. Instead of competing with AI, the future of creative work will involve leveraging AI tools to enhance human creativity, ensuring that those who adapt and evolve their skill sets remain competitive in the marketplace.
AI-Powered Assistants: Revolutionising Work, Creativity, and Marketing
At the conference, various AI-powered tools were mentioned, highlighting how these innovations are transforming different industries. For example, OpenAI’s tailored GPTs allow individuals and businesses to create custom AI models that are optimised for specific tasks, whether it’s for business operations or personal productivity.
Claude, an AI assistant, is particularly useful for web developers, as it generates code efficiently, enabling developers to focus on higher-level project management and creative aspects.
On the creative side, Runway.ai has become a powerful tool for video editors and visual effects artists, offering AI-driven features that help professionals produce high-quality visuals with less effort.
AI is also revolutionising the world of branding and marketing. AI persona builders now enable businesses to craft hyper-targeted, personalised campaigns. These AI tools allow for more precise customer engagement, driving better results in everything from content creation to advertising.
From coding to content creation, AI is rapidly reshaping how we work, making traditionally complex tasks easier, faster, and more effective.
The Impact of AI on Education: Rethinking How We Teach
Another thought-provoking topic that emerged at the conference was AI’s role in education. As AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT become increasingly integrated into students' study routines, there’s growing concern that this could diminish the value of traditional learning. Students now have the ability to access instant, accurate answers, which may lessen their desire to conduct deeper research or critically engage with their studies.
This shift begs the question: Is the current way we teach still relevant in an AI-driven world? As AI continues to evolve, it may be time to rethink how we approach education. Much like how the internet changed the world of information and communication from the 1990s onward, AI could soon become a central part of how we learn and teach. The education system will need to adapt to ensure students are equipped not just with factual knowledge but with the skills to work alongside AI and critically engage with it.
Final Thoughts: The Evolving Creative Landscape
As AI becomes an ever-present force in the creative industry, there’s a growing concern that over-reliance on AI will lead to homogenised outputs. AI excels at processing data and handling routine tasks, but it still struggles with one crucial aspect of creativity: taste. The human touch—our intuition, cultural understanding, and emotional depth—remains something that AI cannot replicate.
To stay relevant, creatives must continue to specialise and deepen their knowledge in specific areas, rather than trying to master everything. In a world where AI can handle more tasks, the true value of a creative will lie in their specialised knowledge and raw talent.
This evolution could also raise the bar for entering the creative workforce. With AI handling more mundane tasks, the demand for high-level, skilled professionals will increase, leading to a more competitive industry. In this future, only the most skilled, innovative creatives will thrive, ultimately raising the overall quality of work in the industry.
And perhaps one of the most surprising insights from the conference: AI works better when you're kind and polite to it.