News
Continuous training
Other
Demystifying the use of AI in digital creation
By Félix Poncelet-Marsan | In partnership with Le Lien MULTIMÉDIA
16 janvier 2025
Take advantage of the latest research in artificial intelligence (AI)
In collaboration with UQAT, SYNTHÈSE invites you to discover a new training course: Using Local Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Creation Process. This free and exclusive training course is available on the EXPERTS online learning platform..png)
It has now been nearly a year and a half since coders and experts in digital creation and technological innovation Nicolas Bouillot, Emmanuel Durand, and Michal Seta founded Lab148, their cooperative specializing in digital creation.
With many years of experience in the field—notably thanks to their work at the research laboratory of the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT)—the trio supports individuals and organizations in their creative endeavors and processes. This mission has allowed them to observe that there is still a lack of understanding about artificial intelligence, which convinced them to develop a training course on the subject, offered on the SYNTHÈSE EXPERTS platform.
“During our first year of existence,” comments Emmanuel Durand, "we had many opportunities to work with artificial intelligence in one way or another. We realized—and this came as a surprise—that these tools are both very well known in the media and very little understood technically. Their implementation in creative contexts is not obvious to everyone, and the same goes for the possibilities of AI: how it works and what it can do. It's very obscure to many people, including those in the creative field and in studios. So we saw an opportunity to offer an initial training course on this subject."
Leveraging the latest AI technologies in digital creation
Entitled “Using Local Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Creation Process,” the training program organized by the founders of Lab148 in collaboration with UQAT is now available on SYNTHÈSE's EXPERTS platform. It aims to educate workers in the digital creation field about new technologies derived from artificial intelligence, so that they can best integrate them into their creative pipelines, while taking into account their specific characteristics and rapid evolution.A program structured in video clips
Divided into five video capsules lasting between 20 and 30 minutes, the advanced program is offered in French and English. It covers topics such as:Image generation with Blender
Integrating a chatbot into a game engine, and
Separating pre-recorded sound sources.
In addition, in line with their mission within their own organization, the founders advocate the use of open, readily available software and focus on locally accessible artificial intelligence, i.e., intelligence that does not rely on potentially ephemeral online services.
“We prefer artificial intelligence that can be installed on machines and controlled,” explains Nicolas Bouillot. “There is a need in the field to archive digitally created museum or artistic experiences so that they can be replayed later. If they rely solely on third-party online services, these could change completely and the original experience could then disappear.”
Ensuring the longevity of digital art
This issue of sustainability plays an important role in training, adds Emmanuel Durand, given the experiences that the trio's members have had and witnessed before and since the founding of Lab148."We've had several examples of artists who have created works based on AI that communicates with remote servers. If the API (application programming interface) of the model used changes—poof!—the installation no longer works, it has to be updated, and that's not an easy process. So, really understanding how our tools are installed—their ecosystem, so to speak—doesn't solve everything, but it does make it easier to ensure the sustainability of our installations. "
All in all, the researchers hope not only to teach digital creatives how to make the best use of artificial intelligence for their projects, but also to instill in them a certain “taste for adventure,” as Nicolas Bouillot illustrates.
“We all have our favorite tools that we're good at using for creation, and we tend to stick with them. This training gives us the keys to explore other options, especially through plug-ins that can be added to existing tools. It allows us to explore, to go further...”
This desire to improve the autonomy of members of the community is also supported by Michal Seta. According to him, those who limit themselves to the services offered by the web giants are simply following the innovation imposed by them.
“By taking this kind of training, we develop the ability to approach innovative projects. It allows us to free ourselves a little from what companies with the biggest marketing budgets are offering us. We can then perhaps go beyond or beyond what is presented to us and what is most visible, because innovation often comes from outside the box.”
Develop your skills with EXPERTS
To make sure you don't miss out on this new training program, simply register now on the EXPERTS online learning platform, developed by SYNTHÈSE.Registration is free and reserved exclusively for professionals from member studios of: La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec, BCTQ, and Xn Québec. The platform is also accessible free of charge to recent graduates of a digital creation training program from a public higher education institution in Quebec for one year after graduation.