4 hours from now
Dangerous ideas to shape the creative economy
The creative industries are a critical sector for the UK economy, a cornerstone of East London’s identity, and an integral part of Here East’s DNA. But as advanced technologies emerge and unlock fresh opportunities and challenges – what lies ahead for the sector? Is now the perfect time to disrupt the industry and redefine its future?
As London’s home for entrepreneurs, creatives, and unconventional thinkers, there’s nowhere better to explore answers to bold questions than Here East – and that’s exactly what our recent Future Talks focused on: “Dangerous ideas to shape the creative economy.”
Bringing leading cross-sector thinkers together in Plexal at Here East, the latest instalment in our Future Talks series featured a range of discussions and networking sessions that inspired bold ideas on what tomorrow’s creative industry might look like – addressing a range of pressing questions:
- Does it matter if creativity is AI or human – or is using AI just cheating?
- Is our education system holding back the next generation of innovators?
- How involved is the next generation in planning the future?
- How can London supercharge its position as a global creative capital?
Watch the event recap video below and read on to explore dangerous ideas from some of the UK’s most influential thinkers.
5 dangerous ideas
The afternoon started with five roundtable discussions, where Here East CEO Gavin Poole and COO Mike Magan joined leading industry voices to exchange dangerous ideas at the convergence of creativity, technology, and education.
To open the floor for discussion and offer food for thought, three creative experts – award-nominated cultural programmer and producer, Clémence Rebourg; BAFTA’s Immersive Chair and Global Director of Innovation at Magnopus, Dr Solomon Rogers; and Director of the University of the Arts London Fashion, Textiles & Technology Institute, Professor Jane Harris – then took to the stage to share bold thought starters.
Next, participants dove into debating the three concepts at their tables to spark their own dangerous ideas. These ideas were then summarised and shared by each table’s discussion leader, which included: Ian Merricks, FBCS FRSA, Proposition Lead at VenturePath; Shazia Hussain, CEO of London Legacy Development Corporation; Richard Wallace, co-founder of LMA; Tom Hostler, Chief Digital Officer of Koto; and Paul Dowling, Co-Founder of KXSB.
What were their radical ideas? Our Future Talks report, which is coming soon, will reveal all.
The time to disrupt is now
Following the roundtables, Clemence, Sol, and Jane joined a panel discussion moderated by Georgina Godwin (host of Here East’s Visionary podcast) that brought together the wider Here East community.
Exploring opportunities vs. challenges, barriers vs. catalysts, and AI vs. human – together, they explored how the creative landscape is changing at pace as disruptive technologies emerge. This saw the three panellists discuss the distinction between AI and human creativity, what’s holding creativity back and what’s around the corner, as well as how the sector can be championed and protected. They debated if – as a performer – using AI for creativity is cheating, and how the rise of mass-produced AI-generated content could result in a premium being put on human-made art.
Here East is where a new generation of disruptors come to shape what’s next. This event – like all our Future Talks – provided the perfect sandbox environment to start the bold conversations and spark the breakthrough ideas that underpin this.
Capturing this perfectly in his closing remarks, Mike highlighted how our Future Talks catalyse new possibilities and connections:
Mike Magan, COO of Here EastWe take these ideas and we continue to talk about them, to synthesize them. It’s conversations like this that we believe are incredibly important. Thank you to everyone who joined us – your contributions have been fantastic. Take time to network and meet people you don’t know.
