The British Film Institute (BFI) has opened its first artificial intelligence (AI)-focused fund, with £175,000 set aside to support projects to examine and better understand the challenges of using AI in screen archiving.
The fund is seeking applicants from non-profit organisations working in the area, which would advance skills, insight and capacity in screen archives. It is intended to deliver for a wide range of beneficiaries, from archives and collection owners, to researchers and audiences.
It is the latest round of funding from the £1.8m BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund, set up to tackle up to six critical challenges in the screen sector and run from 2023-2026, following the initial round of funding for the UK video games industry.
Broader issues surrounding AI, such as how this technology might affect areas like production, training or skills, are all being explored separately through sector consultation and research, with the BFI confirming these insights may lead to a future call of an Innovation Challenge Fund.
The deadline for applications is September 5, with funding awards expected to be made in January 2025.
Rishi Coupland, BFI director of research and industry innovation, said: “This fund gives us the flexibility to support the screen sector to break barriers, learn and develop new ways to deliver public value. AI presents significant opportunities to support archivists in a range of tasks – from documenting, developing and sharing moving image heritage – but we need a much more comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges, and this funding sets out to bridge that gap.”
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