Our goal is not to present AI as a revolutionary force, but to foster understanding of its applications and implications within animation. The program is designed to give participants a shared foundation, beginning with an introduction to what AI is, continuing with a historical overview of its use in animation, and moving toward present-day examples and case studies. A filmmaker will present a recent project involving AI-assisted methods, and the day will conclude with a panel discussion about the future of AI in the animation industry and audience Q&A.
The symposium offers a balanced space for reflection, encouraging dialogue between researchers and practitioners about how AI tools are shaping, and might continue to shape, the production, aesthetics, and scholarship of animation. Hosted at one of the most established animation festivals in the Nordic region, the event provides international visibility while supporting the Society for Animation Studies’ mission to advance critical engagement with emerging areas of animation research.
Artificial intelligence has become one of the defining technological developments of our time, influencing a wide range of cultural and creative practices. In animation, AI introduces both new possibilities and new questions. Algorithms can generate, assist, or transform images and movement, but their use also raises aesthetic, ethical, and methodological issues that demand careful consideration.
While AI has received widespread attention in media and technology discourses, its specific relevance to animation has only begun to be explored systematically. Animation has always existed at the intersection of art and technology, and AI is the latest in a long line of tools that expand, challenge, or redefine the boundaries of the medium. To understand what is at stake, it is necessary to look beyond hype and speculation, and to examine both the histories and current practices of AI in animation.
The From Algorithms to Imagination Symposium uses this as its starting point. By situating AI within the traditions of animation studies and practice, the symposium aims to create an informed and balanced conversation. It will explore questions such as: What does AI mean for the aesthetics of animated images? How does it affect the creative process? What are the risks and potentials for the future of the discipline? Through talks, case studies, and discussions, the event invites participants to engage critically with these issues, contributing to a growing international dialogue on animation in the age of artificial intelligence.
Speakers for the Symposium include Mojtaba Kargar, researcher at the Royal College of Art in London, United Kingdom; Ole Christoffer Haga from University of Inland Norway; and filmmaker Herinarivo Rakotomanana.
The Symposium is produced by Volda University College, with academic lead M. Javad Khajavi, and is a part of the Northern Animation Research Network (NARN) and The Society for Animation Studies.
