A new French creator event talks creativity in the era of AI

This week, a cadre of “professionals, students, and curious minds” gathered in the French Riviera for the first edition of PIXEL.IA, a two-day conference about storytelling in the age of generative large language models.

The event was organized by Imago Production in partnership with MédiaClub Méditerranée–an offshoot of MédiaClub Paris that aims to support creative projects in Southern France. Imago Production, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old creative/cultural organization that offers events like the annual Marseille Web Fest, which recognizes short-form content and other “new audiovisual formats.”

PIXEL.IA brought in speakers including The Man in the High Castle creator Franck Spotnitz, Brotherhood of the Wolf director Christophe Gans, Blueberry director Jan Kounen, and The City of the Lost Children director Marc Caro, plus producers from studios Pathé, Banijay, and Dramanation.

Its keynote came from Logicomix founder Yann Chapellon, who spoke on AI and the future of storytelling.

General topics addressed at the conference included:

• “Can writers still work alone in the age of AI co-authors?”
• “Who really owns an idea, a style, a story–when machines can remix it all?”
• “Should producers embrace AI…or push back?”
• “What does it mean to direct a film when the camera sees with synthetic eyes?”
• “And for actors: where is the line between the human and their digital double?”

PIXEL.IA dubbed itself a hub where attendees could “explore how creators can harness AI as a tool–not a threat–and rethink what it means to tell stories in 2025 and beyond.”

It added that while its speaking schedule was comprised of accomplished directors and business owners, PIXEL.IA “isn’t just about VIPs–it’s also a platform for emerging voices, local talents, students, researchers, and startups to explore what comes next.”

While PIXEL.IA has concluded, its sibling creator event, Marseille Web Fest, will run Oct. 9-11 this year in its titular city. Those interested in attending can check out more info here.

PIXEL.IA and Marseille Web Fest are Tubefilter partners.