About #

This project was initiated in 2024 as part of the Microsoft Research AI & Society Fellowship Program, under the research challenge “Towards Creative-Centered AI: Opportunities and Challenges at the Intersection of Creatives, AI, and Society.” The initial phase was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Sorbonne Université (Paris). The fellowship program aims to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations between Microsoft Research and scholars whose work addresses the societal impacts of AI.

Following the fellowship, the initiative continued beyond its original scope, bringing together the initial collaborators and welcoming new contributors. It has since evolved into a collective research initiative dedicated to advancing creative-centered AI through scholarly research, the organization of seminars, and the development and sharing of resources for the broader research community.

AI technologies are becoming more powerful at the same time as they are becoming more widespread and accessible. Their role in creative and cultural sectors, in turn, has become increasingly complex. On one hand, AI tools open new creative possibilities; on the other hand, the way they are built and deployed brings a range of potential harms, from economic impact on artistic labor to copyright violations. The intrusion of AI into the mainstream artistic sphere forces us to confront our vision of creativity itself.

Our objectives are the following:

• Investigate the impact of AI technologies, especially the recent advancement of large-scale generative models, on artists and creatives;
• Understand the creatives’ values, needs and concerns working with AI technologies through participatory and community-driven approaches; and
• Shape the future development of AI-based solutions by informing technologies, services, infrastructures, and policies to empower creatives’ capabilities, their social contract, and new emerging media.

People involved (alphabetical order) #

• Baptiste Caramiaux (CNRS researcher at Sorbonne Université, Paris)
• Kate Crawford (Senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research, New York City)
• Sarah Fdili Alaoui (Reader at University of the Arts London)
• Vera Liao (Associate Professor at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
• Gonzalo Ramos (Principal researcher at Microsoft Research, Redmond)
• Téo Sanchez (Marie-Curie Post-doctoral researcher at LMU, Munich)
• Vera van der Burg (Phd candidate at TU Delft and artist, Delft)
• Jenny Williams (Senior content designer at Microsoft Research, Redmond)

Contact #

Contact us by sending us an email.