Amplifying Imagination Acceleration Programme – AI in the Creative Industries (UK)

Digital Catapult is leading this open innovation call as part of the MyWorld programme, aiming to deliver innovation-led growth in the West of England. Successful applicants will receive £50,000 to build a new product or develop an existing prototype in response to the challenges provided.

About the Programme

• Amplifying Imagination is a 16-week acceleration programme targeted at developers, creative studios, startups, and scaleups. Those who successfully apply will explore innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions optimising creative approaches or processes, specifically addressing industry challenges related to the capture, creation, delivery, or evaluation of experiences.
• We are seeking projects that aspire to create new products, processes, services or innovative experimental prototypes which demonstrate clear advancement in the integration, application, development or assessment of AI approaches, models or products. See blog on the theme of AI in the creative industries.
• The following are examples of challenges you may wish to develop a project around, but this list is intended to be inspirational, not exhaustive:
  • The exploration of assistant technologies to enable creatives to achieve things they would otherwise be unable to.
  • Adaptation of existing, or creation of new, AI models that directly respond to a challenge in the creative sector.
  • Analysis and interpretation of large data sets to provide insights into creative experiences.
  • Automation of routine tasks – potentially freeing up creative professionals to be more exploratory or productive.
  • Exploring the intersection of adaptive and responsive audience experience and the audience themselves.
• Whilst the programme encompasses the full spectrum of AI in the creative industries, we have pinpointed specific challenges in collaboration with industry partners, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the BBC. Additionally, an Open Challenge is presented, inviting businesses to apply with areas of research and development (R&D) that align with their roadmap.

Challenges

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Challenge
  • This challenge is focused on how AI approaches can relieve some of the manually intensive and laborious tasks within the creative sector through automation, analysis and optimisation. Not the removal of the human, but freeing them up to work on interesting and exciting creative challenges that create competitive advantages for them, the West of England region and helps to grow the sector.
  • As an Industry Partner, AWS are providing the following benefits to the successful projects to this challenge:
    • AWS Credits – up to $3500 per project – subject to conditions and further review by AWS
    • Mentoring – AWS Representative assigned to the project to review and mentor progress
• BBC Challenge
  • The challenge of consistency involves variables like room dimensions, loudspeaker placement, background noise, and individual hearing abilities. The shift to headphone-centric or acoustically treated studio mixing further complicates achieving an ideal audience reception. Existing solutions replicate headphone and loudspeaker responses, but a comprehensive approach or product integrating device loudspeakers, room acoustics, background noise, and listener characteristics is lacking and a multitude of variables in such a simulation makes manual creation impractical.
  • As an Industry Partner, the BBC are providing the following benefits to the successful projects to this challenge:
    • Discussions with BBC R&D Researchers with experience in accessible audio
    • Access to audio assets (subject to clearance) for various kind of content
    • Possible co-dissemination support of outputs
• Open Challenge
  • We encourage businesses to apply to this call with areas of research and development (R&D) that are relevant to your roadmap. If the Industry partner-led challenges from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the BBC do not address your sector, or current R&D priorities, please apply to the Open Challenge option of this call.
  • The following are examples of challenges you may wish to develop a project around, this list is intended to be inspirational, not exhaustive. Other innovations utilising AI to address fundamental challenges or opportunities within the Creative Industries are welcome:
    • The exploration of AI technologies to enable creatives to achieve new ways of working and/or processes that they would otherwise be unable to.
    • Adaptation of existing, or creation of new, AI models that directly respond to a challenge in the creative sector.
    • Analysis and interpretation of large data sets to provide insights into creative experiences.
    • Automation of routine tasks – potentially freeing up creative professionals to be more exploratory or productive.
    • Exploring the challenge of ownership, authorship and copyright in a world where content creation is potentially automated
    • Addressing ethical questions ensuring responsible and fair use, and exploring the impact of AI on cultural representation and sensitivity in creative works.
    • Exploring the intersection of adaptive and responsive audience experience and the audience themselves.
  • The funding could be used to create a new prototype, accelerate development of a product or service, or explore the integration of existing AI solutions.

Benefits

• Up to £50,000 to develop a challenge-focused proof-of-concept in response to the challenges.
• Regular meetings with industry partners to help businesses develop their solutions and define a route to market with commercial opportunities.
• Digital Catapult-led workshops and masterclasses with access to expertise focusing on topics including value proposition and product development, investment readiness and business plan support.
• Be part of a cohort of up to nine innovative businesses from the creative sector, and the wider MyWorld cohorts, sharing learnings and insights gained from the portfolio of programmes.
• Access to the dynamic MyWorld network of industry, academia and mentors with technical and business expertise.
• For the duration of the programme, get the opportunity to make use of existing MyWorld facilities, expertise and kit to aid experimentation and growth.

Who should apply?

• The programme is inviting applications from startups, scaleups, creative studios and developers who work in the creative sectors, areas include but are not limited to:
  • Broadcast, film, TV, video and audio
  • Gaming
  • Live events, music, performing and visual arts
  • Advertising and marketing
  • Design: product, graphic and fashion
  • Sports and esports
  • Architecture
  • Heritage
• Although the MyWorld programme is focused on the West of England region it is important to note that for this Challenge Call, we will also welcome applications from UK registered businesses who are outside the region but can demonstrate impact in the West of England region. We strongly encourage applicants to refer to the selection criteria with particular emphasis on how the project can provide long-term benefits to the region.

For more information, visit Digital Catapult.