Application | Future Edge 2026 | Ethical AI in the Creative Industries

Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, and Coimisiún na Meán are excited to announce the next call for applicants for our flagship Future Edge programme.

Future Edge will support leaders across the cultural and creative sectors to better understand and implement best practices in Ethical AI & Data Protection in the Creative Industries. These workshops will not showcase specific applications/software tools, but rather explores safeguards and responsible use of AI tools in any area of your business.

This programme is supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Coimisiún na Meán.

Facilitator: Sana Khan – Barrister-at-law, Fellowship in Privacy, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPP/US, BCL, LLM, CAMS, CAMS RM, CGSS, CCAS, and Lecturer in Data Protection, Governance & Risk Management through Risk GRC Limited.

Structure:

• The programme will open with a two-day in-person session on Tuesday 20th and Tuesday 27th of October at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8, covering the latest developments in ethical AI in the creative industries.
• This will be followed by 3 online evening sessions on 10th and 24th of November, details below, where participants can attend all or select sessions, depending on their areas of interest:
  • October 20th & 27th: Ethical AI in Creative Industries
  • November 10th: 18.00 to 21.00 – AI & Sustainability
  • November 17th: 18.00 to 21.00 – HR, Organisational Culture & GEDI (Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Age of AI
  • November 24th: 18.00 to 21.00 – AI in Business Operations & Decision-Making
• Finally, individual consultations for each participant will be available after the programme is complete.

This is an approved programme under the Upskill SME Training Grant.

The Upskill SME Training Grant helps eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) invest in AI skills development while recovering employee salary costs associated with training.

Eligible SMEs can claim €204.30 per employee per training day for employees participating in approved AI training programmes, subject to the scheme’s eligibility criteria.

The Upskill SME Training Grant is administered by Skillnet Ireland. Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet will sign off on the required sections of the grant applications but do not administer the scheme

Explore the grant, eligibility criteria and available AI training opportunities at:

www.skillnetireland.ie/upskill-sme-training-grant

Overview

Over a series of in-person and online workshops for Future Edge in 2023, 2024, 2025 and earlier in 2026 we engaged with individuals in leadership, management and executive roles across the screen industries. Past participants included Cartoon Saloon, Element Pictures, Fishamble Theatre, Black Shamrock, Screen Producers Ireland, Animation Ireland, StoryToys, Sow You Entertainment, Jam Media, Great Island Productions, Keeper Pictures (formerly Blinder Films), Danú Media, Metropolitan Films, Raising Films, Virgin Media, Wild Atlantic Pictures, Piranha Bar and others.

“These two days on AI, the ethics of AI, and its applications within the creative industries was genuinely insightful; I found the discussion particularly engaging, and it sparked a lot of interesting thoughts about the future of creative work. The practical takeaway is I feel empowered to draft a public statement for my company regarding its current position on AI.” 

Orlaith FitzGerald, Screen Producers Ireland 

AI and policies surrounding its use are something of a minefield to us. The Future Edge AI strand was extremely helpful and Sana’s knowledge and experience was invaluable and extremely well communicated. It was also great to be in a room with other people from all departments, who have the same concerns and queries.  

Ciara Bresnihan, Head of Production, Animo TV 

The Future Edge programme gave us space and time to develop meaningful policies for our business. The course provided a breadth of experience from the programme tutors, combined with practical insights into our own unique workflows and relationships. 

Jonathan Clarke, Producer, Distillery Films 

The Ethical AI sessions have armed me with a greater understanding of the implication of AI on creative practice, as well as the critical thinking skills necessary to manage AI responsibly. In an industry where creative integrity is paramount, understanding the ethical implications of AI tools is vital. 

Course Profile

Foundation Workshop: Ethical AI in Creative Industries (2 Days)

Tuesday 20th & Tuesday 27th, of October 2026, 10am to 5pm, in person at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8

• Understanding what AI is and the types of AI risk
• Current and emerging AI developments
• AI ethics frameworks
• Bias mitigation, transparency, explainability and accountability considerations
• AI in Employment and Workforce Change
• Human Oversight and Creative Integrity
• Creative rights, copyright and authorship challenges
• Data governance, privacy, cybersecurity and GDPR requirements
• Legal and regulatory developments including the EU AI Act, UK and US
• Applied exercises and case studies
• Procurement, Vendor Assessment and Due Diligence
• Guided drafting, review and refinement of organisational AI statements
• Guided principles to incorporate for AI usage by creative industry professionals (whether as a productivity tool or as a creative function)

Delivery will continue to emphasise discussion-based learning, reflecting participant feedback from 2025 and 2026 requiring more time for:

• Privacy and GDPR explained in more detail and with more time
• A risk-based approach to AI 3
• IP and licensing
• International regulatory divergence
• Real-world compliance modelling
  

Specialist Workshops (½ Day Each)

Note 1: At the point of registration, participants will be asked to confirm which workshop(s) they intend to attend so that final delivery planning can be aligned with demand. Participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions or topics of interest in advance, which will be incorporated into the workshop discussions and learning activities.

Note 2: To ensure an engaging learning environment, each half-day workshop will require a minimum of five registered participants. If any workshop falls below this number, it may be combined with another related workshop and delivered as a joint session. In such cases, Workshops 1 and 2 may be delivered as a single combined session, and Workshops 3 and 4 may be combined where appropriate.

Participants may attend all or select based on relevance:

1. AI & Sustainability
   Tuesday 10th of November – 6pm to 9pm

• Understanding the environmental impact of AI systems
• Carbon footprint considerations
• Sustainable AI principles and responsible technology procurement
• Balancing innovation with environmental, social and governance (ESG) obligations
• Practical applications of AI to support sustainability initiatives in scheduling and logistics
• Case studies from film, animation, games, live events and digital production
• Assessing sustainability claims and avoiding “greenwashing” in AI tools and vendor marketing

2. HR, Organisational Culture & GEDI (Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Age of AI (Delivered in conjunction with Eoghan Nihill)
   Tuesday 17th of November – 6pm to 9pm

• AI in HR Decision-Making
• Bias, Fairness & Algorithmic Discrimination
• The GDPR, EU AI Act, Equality Law & Employment Regulation
• Data Protection for People Data
• Workforce Rights and Ethical Use of AI
• AI and Organisational Culture
• GEDI (Gender, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion)
• Responsible Use in Learning, Development & Skills Planning
• Policy, Governance & Practical Guardrails

3. AI in Business Operations & Decision-Making (Delivered in conjunction with Eoghan Nihill)
   Tuesday 24th November – 6pm to 9pm

• Where AI can support business operations and leadership decisions
• Human oversight: When AI should assist versus automate
• Data quality, integrity and governance requirements
• Compliance considerations (GDPR, automated decision-making rules, EU AI Act)
• Evaluating AI vendors and tools using due diligence frameworks
• Ethical governance, transparency and accountability for deployed tools
• Change management considerations and supporting staff adoption
• Real-world case studies from creative sector workflows

All workshops will include:

• Detailed PPT for future references
• Template clauses drawn from the complete AI & Privacy Toolkit
• Template questionnaires
• Checklists
• Practical tools
• Worked examples

One-to-One Consultation Sessions

Each participant receives:

• Tailored advice on implementation, risk mitigation and governance
• Support applying Toolkit templates directly to their own contracts and policies
  
  Sessions must be redeemable within 1 month of programme conclusion.

A separate, dedicated workshop on the Future Edge Creative Sector AI & Privacy Toolkit is also available to current Future Edge participants and 2025 and earlier 2026 Future Edge alumni.

Trainer Profile:

Sana Khan is a Barrister-at-Law and multidisciplinary regulatory specialist with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of law, technology, data protection, and AI governance. She has extensive experience designing and delivering training both academically and professionally and has taught thousands of learners across sectors including creative industries, technology, finance, public administration and regulated professional services across the world.

Sana has previously led programme delivery for the Future Edge Ethical AI Programme with Skillnet, supporting leaders from film, animation, games, post-production, digital media and performing arts to build confidence in AI policy development, legal compliance and ethical implementation. Her work in this space includes supporting creatives to understand IP, authorship rights, transparency obligations, and responsible AI adoption frameworks specifically tailored to creative workflows and production realities.

Throughout her career, Sana has held statutory and senior compliance roles, including Data Protection Officer, Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, working with top-tier firms and multinational financial services and technology organisations. Her expertise spans corporate governance, AI regulation, privacy law, AML, risk management, and applied compliance across European and international jurisdictions.

She is a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) and a certified data protection professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), holding CIPP/E, CIPP/US and CIPM credentials. She also holds multiple specialist certifications including CAMS, CGSS, CCAS and CAMS-RM, and previously served as the Education Programme Director on the Board of the Irish Chapter of ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, www.acams.org).

Sana is the founder of Riskwise Consultancy Services Limited (trading as Riskwise GRC), where she leads programmes in AI governance, legal and regulatory compliance, and responsible technology adoption. She co-developed a specialised global certificate programme on Anti-Money Laundering and GDPR with ACAMS and continues to advise organisations on navigating emerging AI regulation, ethical governance models and privacy-by-design implementation.

An accomplished author, lecturer and speaker, Sana regularly presents at conferences, industry events and regulatory forums on AI ethics and compliance, data protection, emerging technology regulation and applied governance practices. She is recognised for translating complex regulatory and technical concepts into practical, accessible guidance for organisations adopting AI responsibly.

Eoghan Nihill is a dual-qualified solicitor in Ireland and in England & Wales, specialising in Artificial Intelligence governance, data protection, and regulatory compliance. He holds an Executive Master’s in Law & AI (University of Liège), an MBA from Durham University, and multiple industry-leading certifications including CIPP/E and CIPM (International Association of Privacy Professionals, www.iapp.org), CAMS, CAMS-RM, CCAS, CGSS (Association of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, www.acams.org), and Chartered Tax Adviser qualifications. He is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP), giving him a unique interdisciplinary perspective across legal, financial, technological and operational domains.

Eoghan has extensive hands-on experience working as both a Privacy Officer and an AI Governance Officer, supporting organisations through the implementation of AI policies, AI regulatory classifications and assessments, data protection impact assessments, compliance frameworks, algorithmic risk assessments and governance models aligned with emerging regulatory standards, including the EU AI Act. His work spans SMEs, private equity-owned companies, listed entities, fiduciary services and international regulated firms operating both onshore and offshore.

With a strong background in compliance, governance, and risk management, he has led data protection and AI implementation programmes, designed compliance remediation initiatives across Europe and the United States, and supported organisations in navigating emerging generative AI risks, responsible deployment practices and technical/legal accountability requirements.

Eoghan is an experienced educator and trainer who has delivered extensive teaching across multiple sectors, including creative industries, technology, financial services, public sector bodies, regulatory authorities and academia. His teaching focuses on AI governance, data protection, privacy engineering, compliance frameworks, ethics in automation, blockchain technology and the regulatory landscape for emerging technologies. He regularly speaks at conferences, seminars and regulatory forums on AI, privacy and innovation governance.

In addition to delivering tailored organisational training, Eoghan is a specialist lecturer for leading certification bodies and provides instruction for professional programmes, supporting hundreds of practitioners internationally in developing high-level expertise in data governance and responsible AI compliance. In recent months, he has delivered in-person compliance training to supervisory authorities in Dubai and Jordan.

Eoghan brings a multidisciplinary, practical and future-focused approach that integrates legal, ethical, technological and organisational need ensuring companies and leaders are not only compliant but strategically positioned for responsible and sustainable AI adoption.

Participant Profile

This programme is designed for individuals in leadership/management/HOD/Supervisor roles with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a company/organisation.

The nature of the company’s business should include, but is not limited to: Animation, Visual Effects, Games, Film, TV, Documentary, Post-Production, Immersive Technologies, AR/VR, Virtual Production, Digital Media, Entertainment Events, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts.

Cost

Cost: €250 per person

Dates and times of course

Tuesday 20th October – in -person – 10.00 – 17.00
Tuesday 27th October – in-person – 10.00 – 17.00
Tuesday 10th November – online – 10.00 – 13.00 – Workshop 1
Tuesday 10th November – online – 14.00 – 17.00 – Workshop 2
Tuesday 24th November – online – 18.00 – 21.00 – Workshop 3

Applications

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Monday 12th October at noon