DePaul University’s 2nd Annual AI in Film Education Conference April 25th

DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts will host its Second Annual AI in Film Education Conference on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the DePaul School of Cinematic Arts Theater.

Building on the momentum of last year’s inaugural event, the conference will bring together filmmakers, artists, educators, and industry professionals for a full day of panels, case studies, demonstrations, and conversation focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping creative practice across development, production, post-production, and marketing.

“The use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking has increased exponentially since our inaugural conference just over a year ago. This year’s conference provides DePaul students, local industry, and the public to engage with creative leaders at the forefront of these developments. I can’t overstate how important this conference is for students preparing for careers in an industry undergoing such seismic change,” says associate professor Dan Klein, the lead organizer of the conference who also serves as Director of Industry Engagement for DePaul’s The School of Cinematic Arts.

“The topic of AI in creative media can sometimes be polarizing. Our approach with the conference is to create a forum where we can dive deeper into the implications of AI across a host of aspects and hear from a spectrum of viewpoints. While the technology will inevitably change the industry landscape, I think it’s important to always center human creativity even as we redefine ideation, workflow, and aesthetics.”

The day will feature a keynote by Charlie Fink, producer, columnist, educator, and CEO of Cinemation.AI; a panel on emerging tools and workflows featuring Aramide Kehinde of Amazon Web Services and moderated by Mitch Rotter of Shutterstock and DePaul; a conversation with Student Academy Award winning filmmaker Xindi Zhang on AI and storytelling; and a live demo from Matt Hanna, co-founder of Quickture, on AI-supported editing.

Afternoon sessions include Storytelling at Scale, featuring Andrew MacDonald of Zugazi and Cream Productions; followed by a panel on Chicago’s evolving creative ecosystem with Scott Lynch of LOCCOL, producer Mark Mitten, Kimberly Offord of the Chicago AI Film Festival, Erin Sarofsky of Sarofsky, and moderator Jonah Zeiger, founder and CEO of CHIMEA.

The conference has been programmed in partnership with CHIMEA, a new business development agency founded by Jonah Zeiger to connect the Chicago and Illinois creative ecosystem to the broader industry. “Chicago has always been a trailblazer for innovation in media and entertainment so it’s important for our creative community to learn how engage with new technologies and integrate them in ways that are human, authentic, scalable, and sustainable. While AI opens up a vast new horizon of possibilities for storytellers, it’s crucial that students and professionals alike hear from practitioners who are taking an intentional approach to how they utilize the new capabilities made possible by AI.”

The conference will conclude with a private screening of “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” at 3:15 p.m., presented by special arrangement with Focus Features. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with producer Ted Tremper on creativity, ethics, rights, and the future of AI in media. The audience response the film has been powerful. Says Tremper, “The most frequent comment we’ve gotten about the film is ‘I didn’t expect a documentary about AI to make me laugh and cry.”

Schedule Highlights

8:30 a.m. – Check-in and complimentary breakfast

9:00 a.m. – Opening welcome

9:05 a.m. – Keynote: AI, The End of Hollywood, and What Comes Next — Charlie Fink

10:00 a.m. – The New Creative Stack: Tools, Models, and Workflows — Aramide Kehinde and Mitch Rotter

11:00 a.m. – From Experiment to Recognition — Xindi Zhang

11:40 a.m. – Live Demo: Quickture — Matt Hanna

1:15 p.m. – Storytelling at Scale: AI and the New Production Model — Andrew Adashek, Andrew MacDonald, and Ted Tremper

2:10 p.m. – AI and the Next Stage Evolution of Chicago’s Creative Ecosystem — Scott Lynch, Mark Mitten, Kimberly Offord, Erin Sarofsky, and Jonah Zeiger

3:15 p.m. – Screening: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

5:00 p.m. – Q&A with Ted TremperLunch, coffee, and refreshments provided throughout the day.

The conference is free and open to all with RSVP: http://bit.ly/depaul-ai26