Generative AI for Creative Professionals (online)



Overview

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can create new content. This can include generating text, images, music, or other media. It works by learning patterns from existing data and then using those patterns to produce new, similar data. For example, a generative AI can write stories, create artwork, compose music, or even design products by understanding and mimicking the styles and structures it has been trained on.  

Prompt engineering is the process of crafting and refining prompts to effectively communicate with and guide generative AI models. It involves creating questions or statements that instruct the AI on what kind of response or output is desired.   

For creative professionals in media, film, audio, music, gaming, advertising and literature, generative AI has already proven to be a transformative technology. However, we recognise that we are still in the early stages of exploring the synergies and creative possibilities that generative AI offers for these fields.

Programme details

The course will explore the integration of state-of-the-art AI technologies in creative roles.  

You will learn how to harness these tools for design, video production, and more.  

This is a pioneering course for a wide potential audience including Hollywood, Bollywood, gaming, advertising, literature etc., as the course has been based on innovation-led workflows for these industries using GenAI.

This course is designed for professionals in the creative industries, including designers, animators, sound engineers and product developers, as well as innovators looking to integrate AI into their creative processes.

While no prior AI experience is required, familiarity with basic creative software is recommended. The course does not need you to have knowledge of coding. The course covers scenarios on the use of generative AI for media and for brands as per the outline below.

Module 1: Idea Generation & Brainstorming

1.1 Inspiration & Concept Creation

Overview:

Explore how AI generates innovative ideas, concepts, and prompts across various creative disciplines such as visual design, scriptwriting, and product design.

Tools:

ChatGPT for brainstorming ideas. Text-to-Image turbo models for real time images. Text-to-Image for storyboarding.

1.2 Exploration of Variations

Overview:

Learn how AI models produce multiple variations of a single design, scene, or storyline, facilitating the exploration of different creative directions effortlessly.

Tools:

Freepik & Magnific for generating visual variations.

1.3 Prompt Engineering

Overview:

Master the art of crafting effective prompts to elicit desired outcomes from generative AI models.

Tools:

OpenAI’s GPT-4 & Midjourney image description capabilities.

Module 2: Content Creation

2.1 Text Generation

Overview:

Understand how AI assists in writing content, including articles, blog posts, marketing copy, and creative writing such as stories and poetry.

Tools:

OpenAI’s GPT-4 for baseline marketing copy, Bing Copilot and Quillbot AI for tone and rephrasing.

2.2 Visual Creation

Overview:

Utilize generative models like Midjourney and Flux to create all kinds of artwork, from logos to photo-realistic assets based on textual descriptions, expanding creative possibilities for visual artists.

Tools:

DALL-E, Midjourney, Leonardo, Stable Diffusion for visual design.

2.3 Music Composition

Overview:

Explore how AI generates melodies, harmonies, and full compositions, enabling musicians and composers to experiment with new sounds or produce background scores efficiently.

Tools:

AIVA, Suno and Udio.

2.4 Multimedia Content Generation

Overview:

Combine text, visuals, and audio to create cohesive multimedia projects using AI.

Tools:

Runway ML, Luma, Kling, Minimax, Sora.
How Will Smith became the modern Turing Test.

Module 3: Automation of Repetitive Tasks

3.1 Image & Video Editing

Overview:

Discover how you can use AI to streamline pipelines for image editing, color correction, style transfer, allowing creative professionals to focus on high-level artistic decisions.

Tools:

ComfyUI.

3.2 Data Organization & Analysis

Overview:

Learn how AI organizes and tags large volumes of assets automatically, streamlining workflows for roles involving extensive data handling, such as photography and videography.

Tools:

Azure Computer Vision.

Module 4: Customization & Personalization

4.1 Tailored Content for Audiences

Overview:

Utilize generative AI to create personalized marketing materials, advertisements, and interactive content tailored to specific demographics or individual preferences, enhancing audience engagement.

Tools:

TBD 

4.2 Interactive & Immersive Experiences

Overview:

Explore how AI creates dynamic content in real-time for applications like video games and virtual reality, adding layers of interactivity and personalization.

Tools:

Unity’s AI tools for game development, Unreal Engine’s AI integration, Oculus’ AI-driven VR experiences.

4.3 Adaptive Storytelling

Overview:

Implement AI to create stories that adapt based on user interactions and preferences, providing a personalized narrative experience.

Tools:

Narrative AI platforms like Charisma.ai, AI Dungeon for interactive storytelling, StoryStream for personalized narratives.

Module 5: Collaboration & Co-Creation

5.1 Pairing with Human Creativity

Overview:

Examine how generative AI functions as a co-creator, offering suggestions, refining ideas, or completing parts of a project across various creative domains including product design.

Tools:

Midjourney, DepthMap.

Module 6: Prototyping & Conceptualization

6.1 Rapid Prototyping

Overview:

Utilize AI to generate quick mockups or prototypes for product design, storyboards, and visual narratives, enabling early visualization of concepts.

Tools:

Vizcom, Freepik, Tripo AI, CSM.

6.2 Concept Art and Storyboarding

Overview:

Explore how generative AI assists in creating visual storyboards, rough drafts for scenes, characters, and environments in industries like film and game development.

Tools:

Storyboarder with AI integrations, Adobe Fresco’s AI features, Boords with AI-assisted storyboarding.

Companies:

DreamWorks Animation uses AI to develop concept art and storyboards, enhancing their creative process and visual storytelling capabilities.

Module 7: Experimentation with New Styles & Techniques

7.1 Style Transfer

Overview:

Discover how AI helps artists explore new styles by transferring the aesthetics of one piece of art to another, enabling the blending of different techniques and styles.

Tools:

Magnific, Adobe Firefly.

Module 8: Creative Discovery Through AI-Generated Outputs

8.1 Unexpected Connections & Novel Outputs

Overview:

Investigate how AI generates creative works that humans might not conceive, offering unexpected inspiration and novel interpretations that push the boundaries of traditional creativity.

Tools:

OpenAI’s GPT-4 for creative writing, Midjourney & Flux for unexpected visual creations.

Supplementary Components

Latest Research and Trends in Generative AI

Overview:

Updates on cutting-edge advancements and emerging trends shaping the future of generative AI in creative industries.

Components:

  • Summaries of recent research papers and breakthroughs.
  • Analysis of trends and their potential impact on creativity.
  • Exploration of upcoming AI tools and technologies.

 

Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications

Overview:

Comprehensive discussions on the moral considerations, intellectual property issues, bias in AI-generated content, and the broader impact of AI on creative professions and society.

Components:

  • Case studies on ethical dilemmas in AI-assisted creativity.
  • Legal frameworks governing AI-generated content.
  • Strategies to mitigate bias and ensure inclusivity in AI-driven projects.

Capstone Projects and Presentations

Project Development

Overview:

Guided development of individual or group projects that apply generative AI to a creative endeavor of the student's choice.

Best Practices:

  • Clearly define project scope and objectives.

  • Integrate AI tools effectively at each stage of the creative process.

  • Seek continuous feedback to refine and enhance the project.

Tools:

Any of the AI tools covered in the course, depending on the project focus.

Final Presentations

Showcase of completed projects to peers and instructors, highlighting the integration of generative AI in creative processes. 

This is a dynamic area, and both the specifics of the above points, as well as the tools within them, are subject to change.

Dates, Times and Delivery 

This course will run over six live online sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 14:00 - 18:30, including a half-hour break.  

Session dates: 

  • Monday 24 March 

  • Wednesday 26 March 

  • Friday 28 March 

  • Monday 31 March 

  • Wednesday 2 April 

  • Friday 4 April 

Sessions will be 14:00 to 18:30 (UK time). In some cases, the sessions will extend to 19:00, and will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams. 

A world clock, and time zone converter can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bSPu6D 

No attendance at Oxford is required and you do not need to purchase any software.  

Accessing Your Online Course  

Details about accessing the private MS Teams course site will be emailed to you during the week prior to the course commencing.   

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within three working days of the course start date. 

Certification

You will be required to attend and participate in all of the live sessions on the course in order to be considered for a certificate.

Participants who complete the course will be emailed with a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course.

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will also be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee £1250.00

Payment

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the 'Book now' button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

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If you require an invoice for your company or personal records, please contact the administration team. Please do not send card or bank details via email.

Tutors

Ajit Jaokar

Course Director

Ajit is a dedicated leader and teacher in Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a strong background in AI for Cyber-Physical Systems, research, entrepreneurship, and academia. 

Currently, he serves as the Course Director for several AI programs at the University of Oxford and is a Visiting Fellow in Engineering Sciences at the University of Oxford. His work is rooted in the interdisciplinary aspects of AI, such as AI integration with Digital Twins and Cybersecurity. 

His courses have also been delivered at prestigious institutions, including the London School of Economics (LSE), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), and as part of The Future Society at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

As an Advisory AI Engineer, Ajit specialises in developing innovative, early-stage AI prototypes for complex applications. His work focuses on leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to solve real-world challenges using AI technologies.

Ajit has shared his expertise on technology and AI with several high-profile platforms, including the World Economic Forum, Capitol Hill/White House, and the European Parliament.

Ajit is currently writing a book aimed at teaching AI through mathematical foundations at the high school level.

Ajit resides in London, UK, and holds British citizenship. He is actively engaged in advancing AI education and innovation both locally and globally. He is neurodiverse - being on the high functioning autism spectrum. 

Ajit's work in teaching, consulting, and entrepreneurship is grounded in methodologies and frameworks he developed through his AI teaching experience. These methodologies help to rapidly develop complex, interdisciplinary AI solutions in a relatively short time. These include:
1. The Jigsaw Methodology for low-code data science to non-developers.
2. The AI Product Manager framework and AI product market fit framework 
3. Software engineering with the LLM stack 
4. Agentic RAG for cyber-physical systems.
5. AI for Engineering sciences: 
6. The ability of AI to reason using large language models 

He also consults at senior advisory levels to companies.

His newsletter on AI in Linkedin has a wide following 
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/artificial-intelligence-6793973274368856064/

Anjali Jain

Tutor

Digital Solutions Architect, Metrobank 

Anjali is a Digital Solutions Architect at Metrobank, where she helps to deliver advanced technology driven business solutions around diverse themes of Internet Banking, Mobile App, Business banking, and Open banking/PSD2, using agile methodology.

She has over 16 years of IT experience and worked across Banking, Telecom and logistics domains, from inception to the delivery of complex projects.

Anjali is passionate about AI and Machine learning and completed the course "Data science for internet of things" in February 2019 from the University of Oxford.

Mr Jesus Serrano Castro

Tutor

Jesus is an accomplished digital industry professional with 25 years of experience, including the last 16 years at Microsoft.

He specialises in digital transformation, innovation, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and user experience, while also maintaining a strong technical background as a software engineer.

He is a leader in emerging forms of interaction such as extended reality, voice, and biometric interfaces.

In 2014, he was the inventor of one of Microsoft's protected patents for a virtual experience applied to public events, long before the term "metaverse" became popular.

Throughout his career, Jesus has been involved in a wide range of industries, including retail (Zara, IKEA), banking (Santander), insurance (Reale), media (Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox), and telecommunications (Ooredoo).

He has also led the Sports and Entertainment Innovation team, managing 180 sports organisations in 35 countries and 23 sports (Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Laliga, FIFA, FIVB, IAAF, Toyota WRC, WWE, Russia World Cup 2018, Qatar World Cup 2022 etc.).

He has led the development of several successful consumer apps for iOS, Android, Windows and HoloLens, which have received millions of downloads.

He is a top Microsoft speaker, having delivered over 100 sessions and keynotes at global events, achieving the Microsoft Speaker Grand Slam (speaking at the five largest Microsoft global events). He is also an Associate Professor in various Master's programmes and a frequent collaborator with business schools, universities and bootcamps.

Jesus' favourite quote is "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Course aims

Course Objectives and Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:
●    Understand the fundamental principles and techniques of generative AI and their applications in various creative fields.
●    Gain practical experience with leading generative AI tools and platforms, enabling them to integrate AI into their creative workflows effectively.
●    Develop critical thinking skills regarding the ethical, legal, and societal implications of using AI in creative processes.
●    Foster innovation by leveraging AI to explore new creative possibilities, enhance productivity, and scale content production.
●    Collaborate with AI as a co-creator, refining their creative projects through iterative feedback and AI-assisted suggestions.
●    Acquire technical proficiency in customizing and fine-tuning AI models to suit specific creative needs.
●    Enhance their ability to evaluate and iterate on AI-generated content to maintain high creative standards.
●    Effectively manage AI-integrated creative projects from ideation to final presentation.

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click the 'Ask a Question' button at the top of this page.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online using Microsoft Teams. You will be required to follow and implement the instructions we send you to fully access Microsoft Teams on the University of Oxford's secure IT network.

This course is delivered online; to participate you will need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended Minimum computer specification.

It is advised to use headphones with working speakers and microphone.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support