Programs

Make a home in the world.

Our programming prepares you, your team, or your community to encounter large-scale changes in a pragmatic, creative, and homegrown way.

  • Want to know how artificial intelligence will impact your work?
  • Want to start or evolve a business that respects and acknowledges the natural world upon which we rely?
  • Want  to live a life with integrity despite increasing polarization and the rising power of institutions?
Your long-term resiliency hinges on your ability to respond to these and other massive technical, economic, cultural, and social changes.
 

Through our programs you will:

  • better understand the issues through hands-on experience and through engagement with practitioners and researchers
  • develop new skills and relationships to be resilient to “what’s coming”
  • untangle the polarization that keeps you stuck
  • create, refine, and apply a framework unique to you, your organization, and/or your community for working with large, abstract, and volatile issues
  • develop pragmatic strategies for navigating uncertainty
  • gain confidence to act

We can tailor our programming to the specific challenges of your team or organization.

Find the Program for You

We have a selection of programs ranging from self-directed to full experiential encounters.

Core Program

One-Day Intensive Programs

Scheduled workshops in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Toronto, Montreal

Registration Details
photograph of participants at MUTEK Forum in 2023 listening to speakers from UKAI. Around 100 people are seated at desks with laptops in front of them. The crowd is generally in their 20s.

Core Program

3-Month Comprehensive Programs

Hybrid online and in-person delivery in Toronto

Registration Details

Core Program

Research Retreats and Residencies

Experiential encounters: 2 month online plus 2 to 4-week site-specific program, delivered with Canadian and International programming partners. 2025 call for applications now open!

Apply Now

Free Course

Tell the Story of the End of the World

We live in an era defined by challenges that are hard to put our finger on. There is no “where” or “when” to confront these changes. Yet somehow, we have to live alongside them. This course is designed to help you make sense of issues like climate change, AI, and authoritarianism from the perspective of the artist. 

This course is delivered on Mighty Network as part of programming for The Centre for the Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA)

Enroll Now

Program Schedule

Upcoming Events

AI Salon and Celebration with Launch of Poetics of Synthetic Language

includes funding reveal from Malcolm!

Fri Sep 20, 2024 @ 03:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

September 20, 2024 is going to be one to remember, culminating in the Funding
Reveal from Malcolm Costello and our unnamed investor!

  • AI artworks from local and international artists
  • Opportunities to connect with other creators
  • Lots of free stuff
  • A reading from In Praise of Disorder
  • Launch of Poetics of Synthetic Language
  • Funding reveal from our unnamed investor
  • Live music and DJ sets until the early hours

Be in the room when Malcolm announces the investment in UKAI Projects!

See artistic works from local and international artists!

Book launch and lots of goodies!

300 pm - 530 pm Networking and AI Art

530 pm - 600 pm Reading from In Praise of Disorder

600 pm - 645 pm Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch

700 pm - 745 pm Community activities and salon

800 pm - 900 pm AV Show from surprise guest

900 pm - 1145 pm Music and good times

1145 pm - 1200 am UKAI Funding Reveal from Malcolm

midnight - Celebration!

We will also be launching our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication.

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

On September 20, 2024, we will be launching this new publication and several of the contributing artists will be on hand to share their process and the work.

Toronto Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: September 18, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: September 19, 2024
  • AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: September 20, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day or free with a pre-order of the publication (limited to 90 copies)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

This programming is made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and The Writer's Union of Canada through the Canada Council for the
Arts.

Intelligent Terrain: Information Session

Zoom

Thu Oct 03, 2024 @ 05:00 pm

Register

Delivery: Online

Event Type: Residency + Retreat

Intelligent Terrain is a yearly land-centered residency drawing on terrain near Wakefield, Quebec. During this residency, interdisciplinary artists individually and (where safe) collectively explored cognitive technology’s relationship to land and imagined approaches that bring us into a closer relationship with our environment while working toward the preservation of our world for future generations.

Join this information session to learn more about the program, the application process, and connect with others interested in the themes expressed.

Navigating a Polarized World

Online and In-Person Residency

Thu Oct 17, 2024 @ 12:00 pm

Register

Delivery: online and in-person

Event Type: Comprehensive Program

In a world marked by division and discord, demonstrating moral courage is essential. However, social polarization too often leads to frustration and real risk for those operating outside of popular ideologies. Our “Navigating a Polarized World” program is for those with a clear purpose but who find themselves slowed or misunderstood by those with a vested interest in existing ideological debates.

Are you ready to confront and bridge societal divides with resilience and creativity?

Running from October 17, 2024 to January 24, 2025, this blended online and
in-person immersive program focuses on the raw and volatile challenge of navigating a polarized landscape.

Over the course of this program, participants will:

Engage Deeply: Dive into intensive workshops and dynamic discussions that push (and erase) boundaries. Explore the power of narrative and storytelling to reshape perspectives and foster understanding.

Innovate Fearlessly: Learn to leverage cutting-edge strategies and technologies to create impact. Harness the potential of digital tools and AI to drive change in
your community and beyond.

Lead Authentically: Develop a framework rooted in empathy, integrity, and cultural awareness to make decisions with confidence. Embrace the complexities of identity and experience to lead with purpose..

Build Bridges: Collaborate with a diverse cohort of peers and mentors who bring unique insights and experiences. Foster connections that transcend ideological divides and promote collective action.

This program combines online and in-person elements, including an in-person intensive in Toronto from January 14 - 17, 2025. Made possible through the Canada Council for the Arts, participants will receive comprehensive resources
and guidance, although travel and accommodation costs are not included.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Full Carnival Pass

Tue Oct 22, 2024 @ 02:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Access to everything throughout the duration of Carnival and some surprise merchandise included as a thank you for supporting this work.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Full Carnival Pass

Five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Daytime Pass

Tue Oct 22, 2024 @ 02:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

This pass provides access to all of the exhibited work, talks, performances, and workshops but doesn't include the evening events.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Daytime Pass

Five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Thursday Pass

Thu Oct 24, 2024 @ 09:30 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Want to dip your toes into five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises?

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time. Get your pass before they're gone!

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain. We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Friday Pass

Fri Oct 25, 2024 @ 09:30 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Provides access to all of the exhibited works, talks, performances, and workshops as well as the evening party on Friday, October 25, 2024.

Carnival of Shipwreck: Friday Pass


Looking to dip your toes into five days of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises? Friday is going to be a special day at Carnival!

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time. Get your pass before they're gone!

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

Carnival of Shipwreck

Saturday Pass

Sat Oct 26, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: Carnival

Provides access to all of the exhibited works, talks, performances, and workshops as well as the evening party on Saturday, October 26, 2024

Carnival of Shipwreck: Saturday Pass

Want to close out the Carnival and join for an intense day of provocations, performances, installations, ideas, music, dancing and many surprises? Get your Saturday pass now.

Artists, workshops, performance lectures, and more will be announced over time.

What is Carnival?

Carnival of Shipwreck is UKAI’s celebration of being in the water.

Our culture did not evolve to deal with climate change or the explosion of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better future may no longer hold and as a result, too many cling to ideas of control and rescue. Groups of various political stripes are rediscovering their authoritarian impulses.

The accumulated institutions, routines, and assumptions that got us into this mess aren't likely to get us out of it.

We'll need to figure out other ways of being in the water and our work in 2024 has been an attempt to contribute in various ways to this effort. Carnival of Shipwreck is a celebration of this work and, more importantly, of those that made it.

What you can expect at Carnival of Shipwreck?

You can expect beauty and rage. You can expect direct, strange and embodied encounters with the changes underway. If we continue to turn sense-making over to ideologies, whether unreflectively internalized or forced upon us, we forego the work of making up our minds. To be answerable for what's coming, we will need to rediscover our capacity to make sense of the world.

Programmatically, you can expect a return to first principles and looking at artificial intelligence and ecological aesthetics with a weather eye to the future. We will be hosting workshops, performance lectures, provocations, performances, installations, and a lot of general weirdness and disorder.

And, as always, the main focus will be on music, dancing, release, reversal, friendship, and letting go so that we might return to the work renewed once Carnival season is concluded.

Last year we had over 350 folks come through and this year will be bigger (and longer).

Get advance tickets before they’re gone. We’ll be sharing out the various contributors to the Carnival of Shipwreck here and elsewhere.

Carnival 2024 Theme: Shipwreck

Carnival is reversal. Carnival is release.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset worried, early in the 20th century, that the modern world's capacity to create culture in response to changing conditions had significantly eroded.

Life is shipwreck, he offered, and culture is the swimming stroke that keeps us from drowning.

However, over time, we become burdened by "parasitic and lymphatic matter" that threatens to pull us under and completely undermines our ability to adapt to changes that come. We develop techniques, institutions, and ways of thinking that we are hesitant to let go of because learning to swim again is scary and uncertain.

We look out for rescue with no guarantee that it will ever come.

AI for Arts and Culture Leaders

Comprehensive Program

Wed Nov 13, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: Online & In-Person

Event Type: Comprehensive Program

Get a sneak peek of our upcoming program, "AI for Arts and Culture Leaders," running from November 13 to February 21, 2025. This webinar will introduce participants to some key themes for arts administrators and leaders thinking about artificial intelligence (1 hour) and provide information and respond to questions about the forthcoming program (30 minutes).

“AI for Arts and Culture Leaders” is a comprehensive program, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, intended for arts and culture administrators eager to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on their sector and their day-to-day work.

The full program will feature a blend of online and in-person elements, including webinars, workshops, and discussions with experts. Participants will gain practical insights into the benefits and challenges of AI in arts administration, focusing on pragmatic solutions and strategies for digital transformation. The online portion of the program will run from November 13, 2024 to February 21, 2025 and the in-person intensive will be held in Toronto from February 4 to 7, 2025.

With a fee of $299 + HST, this program includes all necessary texts and materials, although travel and accommodation in Toronto are not covered. Enhance your ability to innovate and adapt in a digital cultural environment and prepare for the future of arts management.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Workshop Series; Winnipeg

Wed Nov 20, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with
AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of
Synthetic Launch (and after-party).

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your way with AI: Winnipeg

Wed Nov 20, 2024 @ 10:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators and arts administrators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness and respond to this technology to enhance their creative processes.

The full-day workshop is structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Winnipeg

Thu Nov 21, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement.

This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule:

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • AI Community Event: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: Winnipeg

Fri Nov 22, 2024 @ 04:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

Come meet up with other curious creators, see AI works both developed and in development, enjoy some music, and get a sneak peak at Poetics of Synthetic Language.

AI Community Sessions are concluding events in UKAI’s national AI programming . We will share some AI-based work and participants from the previous sessions may share their concepts and progress as well. The focus is on networking with peers, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. The afternoon and evening includes an invited talk from a leading expert in AI and the arts, readings from notable publications, and a lively afterparty. This session is designed to foster a sense of community among creators and provide a platform for showcasing their AI-driven projects, facilitating further collaboration and inspiration.

UKAI Projects views culture as a collective resource essential for addressing contemporary challenges. By creating spaces for sharing and collaboration, we aim to build networks that support ongoing cultural innovation. This event encapsulates our mission to create inclusive, participatory experiences that celebrate diverse approaches to AI in the arts .

We will also be launching our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication.

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

On November 22, 2024, we will be launching this new publication and several of the contributing artists will be on hand to share their process and the work.

Winnipeg Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 20, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 21, 2024
  • AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: November 22, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day or free with a pre-order of the publication (limited to 90 copies)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

Finding your way with AI: Calgary

Sun Nov 24, 2024 @ 11:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators and arts administrators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness and respond to this technology to enhance their creative processes.

The full-day workshop is structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Calgary Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 24, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 25, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Calgary

Mon Nov 25, 2024 @ 11:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement.

This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Calgary Workshop Series Schedule:

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 24, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 25, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Workshop Series: Vancouver

all 3 days of workshops in Vancouver

Wed Nov 27, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Launch (and after-party) in Vancouver, BC in November, 2024.

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your Way with AI: Vancouver

Wed Nov 27, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness this technology to enhance their creative processes. Drawing from UKAI’s experimental approaches over the past five years, this information session will answer questions from potential participants about the types of hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and exploratory exercises to expect and that might illuminate the possibilities AI offers for the arts. Workshops are structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 27, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 28, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: November 29, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Vancouver

Thu Nov 28, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement. This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. 

Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: September 25, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: September 26, 2024
  • AI Community Event: September 27, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: Vancouver

Fri Nov 29, 2024 @ 03:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

AI Community Sessions are concluding events in UKAI’s national AI programming for Fall of 2024. We will share some AI-based work and participants from the previous sessions may share their concepts as well. The focus is on networking with peers, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. The afternoon and evening includes an invited talk from a leading expert in AI and the arts, readings from notable publications, and a lively afterparty. This session is designed to foster a sense of community among creators and provide a platform for showcasing their AI-driven projects, facilitating further collaboration and inspiration.

UKAI Projects views culture as a collective resource essential for addressing contemporary challenges. By creating spaces for sharing and collaboration, we aim to build networks that support ongoing cultural innovation. This event encapsulates our mission to create inclusive, participatory experiences that celebrate diverse approaches to AI in the arts .

We will also be launching our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication. 

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

On November 29, 2024, we will be launching this new publication in Vancouver and two of the contributing artists will be on hand to share their process and the work.

Vancouver Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: November 27, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: November 28, 2024
  • AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: November 29, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day or free with a pre-order of the publication (limited to 90 copies)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Workshop Series: Halifax

all 3 days of workshops in Halifax, NS

Wed Dec 11, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

This package includes all three workshop days - Finding your way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and the AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Launch (and after-party) in Halifax, NS in December, 2024.

See each of the individual program descriptions for more details or reach out to us at home@ukaiprojects.com

Finding your Way with AI: Halifax

Wed Dec 11, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

A 1-day crash course for creators worried about being left behind.

"Finding Your Way with AI" is a 1-day workshop being delivered across Canada. It is designed to support creators who feel anxious about the rapid integration of AI into artistic practices. "Finding Your Way with AI" aims to demystify AI and help participants discover how they can harness this technology to enhance their creative processes. Drawing from UKAI’s experimental approaches over the past five years, this information session will answer questions from potential participants about the types of hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and exploratory exercises to expect and that might illuminate the possibilities AI offers for the arts. Workshops are structured to encourage a deep and thoughtful exploration of AI's role in artistic practice, emphasizing practical, real-world applications.

At UKAI Projects, our broader mission is to question dominant narratives and explore alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world. By offering this series of workshops, we aim to equip artists with the tools to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in a way that aligns with their idiosyncratic practices and resists the homogenizing tendencies of centralized technological control .

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • AI Community Event and Poetics of Synthetic Language Book Launch: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Art Intensive: Halifax

Thu Dec 12, 2024 @ 09:00 am

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

The "AI Art Intensive" builds upon the foundational knowledge from the "Finding Your Way with AI" workshop but attendance on the first day is not a requirement. This intensive session is dedicated to helping creators develop their AI-enhanced art projects from concept to realization. 

Participants will receive guidance on project development, prototyping, and testing their ideas in a supportive environment. The focus is on practical, hands-on learning, where participants can move their artistic ideas into actionable projects, using AI tools and techniques.

UKAI’s approach emphasizes the value of collaborative creation and the development of diverse perspectives in the use of AI. By supporting artists in moving from idea to implementation, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a polyphony of voices and approaches in cultural production. This method not only enriches individual artistic practices but also contributes to a more resilient and adaptable cultural ecosystem .

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • AI Community Event: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $35 for one day
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: Halifax

Fri Dec 13, 2024 @ 03:00 pm

Register

Delivery: in-person

Event Type: 1-day Workshop

AI Community Sessions are concluding events in UKAI’s national AI programming for Fall of 2024. We will share some AI-based work and participants from the previous sessions may share their concepts as well. The focus is on networking with peers, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. The afternoon and evening includes an invited talk from a leading expert in AI and the arts, readings from notable publications, and a lively afterparty. This session is designed to foster a sense of community among creators and provide a platform for showcasing their AI-driven projects, facilitating further collaboration and inspiration.

UKAI Projects views culture as a collective resource essential for addressing contemporary challenges. By creating spaces for sharing and collaboration, we aim to build networks that support ongoing cultural innovation. This event encapsulates our mission to create inclusive, participatory experiences that celebrate diverse approaches to AI in the arts .

We will also be launching our Poetics of Synthetic Language publication. 

Poetics of Synthetic Language was a multi-month research residency for cultural producers exploring the poetics of large language models and synthetic language generally. What happens to the poetics of a work when language is being drawn not from engagement with the world but rather from a large language model trained on a vast corpus of human language? What are the risks and opportunities of relying on synthetic language that is not participating in the continuous process of becoming and evolving that defines language running wild in the world?

On December 13, 2024, we will be launching this new publication in Halifax and two of the contributing artists will be on hand to share their process and the work.

Halifax Workshop Series Schedule

  • Finding your Way with AI: December 11, 2024
  • AI Art Intensive: December 12, 2024
  • AI Community Session and Poetics of Synthetic Language Launch: December 13, 2024

Participation Fee:

  • $15 for one day or free with a pre-order of the publication (limited to 90 copies)
  • $75 for all three days at your location (Finding your Way with AI, AI Art Intensive, and AI Community Event)

These programs aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment for artists interested in exploring the intersection of AI and creative practice, ensuring that participants leave with a richer understanding and practical skills to integrate AI into their work.

Acknowledgement: UKAI Project’s nation-wide AI programming is made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Intelligent Terrain Spring 2025 Residency

Mon Feb 03, 2025 @ 12:00 pm

Register

Delivery: online and in-person

Event Type: Residency + Retreat

Intelligent Terrain is a yearly land-centered residency drawing on terrain near Wakefield, Quebec. During this residency, interdisciplinary artists individually and (where safe) collectively explored cognitive technology’s relationship to land and imagined approaches that bring us into a closer relationship with our environment while working toward the preservation of our world for future generations.

Join this information session to learn more about the program, the application process, and connect with others interested in the themes expressed.

Just as we inhabit our physical bodies, we inhabit landscapes and live within and from them. We have seen the impact of failing to acknowledge our entanglement with natural systems. From stone tablets to silicon chips, intelligent machines are not further away from the land than an engraved piece of stone.

To varying degrees, we are organized by our landscapes, and how might land inform AI’s development and our responses to it? How might we change the focus of surveillance from monitoring and control to understanding the relationships among people and environments? How might traditional knowledge and stewardship underpin ethical AI?

According to legal scholar and member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation John Borrows, in oral and visual cultures, law flows from the people and from the natural world and is reflected in the artistic and physical world. To imagine ourselves as disentangled from our landscapes creates the conditions for the evacuation of these spaces. How might an ethic of stewardship, centered in natural environments, suggest developmental pathways for AI and responses to its excesses?

UKAI Projects leads a yearly, land-centered residency drawing on terrain near Wakefield, Quebec. During this residency, interdisciplinary artists individually and (where safe) collectively explored cognitive technology’s relationship to land and imagined approaches that bring us into a closer relationship with our environment while working toward the preservation of our world for future generations.

Most discourse tacitly or explicitly positions human beings, their relationships, and the environments they inhabit as ‘objects’ of ethical systems, algorithmic decision making, corporate action, and government regulation. Our cultural life extends from how we experience ourselves and how we experience others. AI amplifies and distorts what we actually and potentially experience.

Reimagination is possible.

Our experiences establish the ideas we can draw upon. AI has no body, no physical environment organizing its development, and no culture to weave and reweave into social life. There is no ‘dark matter’ for the machine to draw upon and our algorithmic culture is increasingly asking us to ignore our own semantic contexts. By (re)inhabiting the body, the land, and our cultures we might imagine a new ethics for algorithms and support others to appreciate the path we find ourselves on.

Program Testimonials

  • Borelson (Ferment 2018 - 2021, Migration 2022)

    "Being part of UKAI was like being part of a think-tank. The longer version is that it was a unique experience at the intersection of so many domains (tech, culture, futurism, arts, etc.), where each member would bring their own skills and expertise and we wouldn't feel limited, we would actually feel free ("Avengers Assemble"?) and feed off of each other in a benevolent way, and when really lucky we would find those paid gigs that would keep us afloat, especially during the pandemic.

    I am grateful for my time over there and I feel I still am part of this family, forever. Witnessing their growth and the way they keep experimenting till this day has been beautiful to witness."

  • Ryan Kelln (Factitious - 2024)

    "What is the future of art making? Collaborations with digital aliens who make all your dreams come true? UKAI and its community building are our hope for a future with fewer monsters and pitchforks and more critical wonder and thoughtfully free expression."

  • Ben McCarthy (Local Disturbances - 2024, Factitious - 2024)

    "Working with UKAI, especially during the Factitious Residency, I was supported in experimenting with several machine-learning-based technologies and in the process learned to improvise with these emergent neural media. An ethos emphasizing creative play over defined-production brought to life a new suite of songs and a collection of video vignettes produced in collaboration with local and LLM generative AI— I was able to share both projects at distinct events in the UKAI studio space. I’ve benefited from peer exchange on new technologies, practical theory, and informed abstraction that advanced my project, my research and practice."

Interested in a tailored program for your team and organization? Let's work together!