Café AI: Artificial Intelligence – Rushed revolution or the holy grail of a creative future?

SACO Workshop Explores AI’s Impact on Creative Industry and Blockchain for Copyright Tracking

On March 13th 2024, the South African creative industry was invited by the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) to a workshop to discuss Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the creative industry. Workshop participants were the opportunity to engage with industry professionals that such lawyers specializing in copyright law, the organizers of Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival, representatives from the South African Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and GIZ (the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).

The diverse group of attendees presented many different and interesting viewpoints on AI, its uses, and the suggestions like using blockchain to monitor and track AI’s usage of copyright in order to be able to compensate the copyright owner for their work.

Leading up to the workshop, SACO also sent out a survey for people to be able voice their concerns or comforts on AI and SACO stated that the results of the survey were being collated and would be published soon. We at MPASA express great grateful to SACO for allowing us to take part in such an important workshop on topic, that has already begun shaping the future of creatives around the world.