UK innovation agency Digital Catapult has selected nine British startups to receive £50,000 in funding to develop AI prototypes for the creative industries.
The startups will work with industry supporters including the BBC and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to explore how AI can improve creative operations, content delivery, and enrich the audience experience.
The nine startups are Fictioneers, Black Goblin, The Gentleman Octopus, Nulight Studio, Noods Radio, Force of Habit, SuperScout, Gritty Talent and Weaving Change.
The initiative is designed to build on the success of a previous accelerator programme, MyWorld, which was delivered by Digital Catapult in collaboration with chip maker Nvidia.
The BBC will collaborate with Fictioneers, Black Goblin and The Gentleman Octopus to improve its audio output and audience engagement.
Fictioneers will develop an AI-powered creative assistant that will enable teams to augment their development process, using the BBC Archives to explore interactive audio experiences and address technical and conceptual challenges in production.
The Gentleman Octopus will create an AI-driven system using data from XR headsets to generate real-time, interactive visualisations of audio for more personalised music show experiences.
Black Goblin’s Thol, an AI-driven sound design suite, will aim to optimise sound design by automating the generation of high-quality sound effects from visual content.
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AWS will provide guidance to Nulight Studio, Noods Radio, Force of Habit and SuperScout to develop new production solutions.
Nulight Studio will use generative AI for video and audio production. Superscout’s iPhone app will use AI to improve operations, streamlining location research and organisation for creative productions.
Noods Radio will look to develop a tool to enrich user engagement features including personalising recommendations for content and introducing an interactive chatbot to automate routine tasks.
Force of Habit’s IMPRESS Insights will provide an AI-enabled tool for video game developers to track and react to player experiences in real-time.
Bristol-based Gritty Talent will develop a solution to improve engagement, retention, and progression of talent in the creative sector.
Weaving Change is developing an Outfit Recommendation Algorithm that uses AI to suggest personalised outfits from users’ existing wardrobes.
MyWorld is led by the University of Bristol and funded by the UKRI Strength in Places fund. The new accelerator programme is delivered by Digital Catapult and provides each startup with funding, as well as access to technological support, investment readiness advice, and tailored workshops, culminating in a final showcase event in Bristol later this year.
Sarah Addezio, Senior Innovation Partner at Digital Catapult, said: “Supporting collaboration through the MyWorld programme between large organisations and startups has never been more important, as the sector tests and develops new trustworthy AI solutions.”
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