Speakers

Chair:

Naomi Hawkins (University of Exeter)

Keynote:

Mike Seymour, Film & Television Director, Visual Effects specialist and researcher, University of Sydney

Mike has worked for many years in the visual effects area of the entertainment industry, in R&D and in film production, winning an AFI and being nominated for a Prime time Emmy in the USA. He has worked as a compositor, vfx supervisor and second unit director on various TV shows in Australia and in the UK. He is also well known for his work as a writer, consultant and educator with the web sites fxguide.com and fxphd.com. These sites provide an important link between the film and vfx community and the research community who constantly push the limits of technology.

Confirmed panellists:

Antonia Modkova, Director of Intellectual Property and Innovation, Soul Machines

Antonia is a patent attorney and lawyer with BSc(Hons) in Computer Science, specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI). She is responsible for growing and managing the IP portfolios of Soul Machines, an AI company developing lifelike and emotionally responsive avatars as user interface for AI platforms. She serves on the ADLS Law and Technology committee, and loves exploring how new technologies, particularly AI, will push the boundaries of our current laws and legal practice.

Shannon Sailing, Audio and New Media Official, Equity

Shannon has worked for the UK performers’ union, Equity, for over ten years in various roles. Shannon is currently responsible for representing union members who work across Audio and New Media, which stretches from voiceover, to Artificial Intelligence, Games and beyond. Shannon is also the secretary to Equity’s Audio Committee whose current priorities include focussing on how Artificial Intelligence will affect the future of voice and campaigning where necessary to ensure performers rights are protected. Shannon is also part of group of international union representatives from other creative unions including SAG AFTRA to focus on motion capture and more recently Artificial Intelligence, endeavouring to uphold the rights of performers as technology evolves.

Mathilde Pavis, Researcher in Intellectual Property Law, University of Exeter

Dr Mathilde Pavis is a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Exeter. Mathilde specialises in intellectual property law and contracts. She is an expert on the legal protection of individuals’ body, voice and likeness in digital media. Her work focuses on finding fair and equitable ways of generating, using and sharing digital avatars imitating real-life people. Mathilde is interested in working out how the law interacts with new technologies, like artificial intelligence, and new business models.

Margaret Haig, Head of Copyright Operations, UK Intellectual Property Office

Margaret Haig is Head of Copyright Operations at the Intellectual Property Office and has worked there since 2013. She has policy responsibility for copyright exceptions, including text and data mining, which is included in the IPO’s consultation on AI. Options on TDM include both exceptions and licensing. Margaret also covers copyright in relation to research more generally, as well as guidance on copyright.

Artificial Intelligence & Intellectual Property in the Creative Industries