The April 2026 issue of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI newsletter (received via email) has an unusually heavy emphasis on Philippe Paquier’s (professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology and director of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI) activities,
Philippe Pasquier Presents on Creative AI at Digital Research Alliance Webinar
In February [2026], Dr. Philippe Pasquier, director of the Metacreation Lab, gave a webinar as part of the Humanities and Social Sciences series organized by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The talk explored how creative AI tools are enabling the partial or full automation of creative tasks and what these developments mean for artists, educators, students, and the creative industries.
The presentation introduced several generative systems developed at the Metacreation Lab for computer-assisted sound design, music composition, and visual generation. It also shared insights from evaluations conducted with the music software industry, examining issues such as user experience, ethics, sense of authorship, and technological acceptance.
Philippe Pasquier Presents on Creative AI and Co-Creation at UVic
As part of the Orion Lecture Series at the University of Victoria, Dr. Philippe Pasquier, director of the Metacreation Lab, gave a talk on Creative AI and Co-Creation. The presentation explored how AI systems can function as creative partners through co-creative tools for music and content generation. Pasquier highlighted the importance of small-data model crafting as an alternative to large cloud-based models, enabling artists to retain sovereignty, authorship, and aesthetic control over their work, while advocating for AI to be developed as a public utility that supports human creativity.
Autolume Workshop at UVic
In late February, Metacreation Lab’s PhD candidate Arshia Sobhan and Dr. Philippe Pasquier led a two-day workshop on Autolume at the University of Victoria. The workshop introduced participants to Autolume, a visual AI system developed at the Metacreation Lab for artistic creation using small-data generative models. Artists, students, and researchers explored hands-on workflows for training and performing with custom models while maintaining creative control over their datasets and outputs.
Philippe Pasquier Participates in Canada’s National Summit on AI and Culture
Dr. Philippe Pasquier, director of the Metacreation Lab, participated as a Bridgebuilder at the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, held March 16-17, 2026, in Banff, Alberta. The national gathering brought together leaders from the cultural sector, technology industry, research community, civil society, and government to discuss the future of AI in the arts and culture.
As part of the Summit’s Reflection Zones, Pasquier helped facilitate cross-sector discussions around the themes Build, Protect, and Empower, supporting dialogue and the development of practical ideas to guide future collaborations and policy considerations at the intersection of AI and culture in Canada. During the event, he also presented a demonstration of Autolume, showcasing the Metacreation Lab’s small-data approach to generative AI for artistic creation.
Calls for Submissions
AIMC 2026 – Conference on AI Music Creativity
Submissions are now open for the 7th Conference on AI Music Creativity (AIMC 2026), which brings together researchers, artists, and technologists working on AI-assisted music creation, computational creativity, and creative AI systems. The conference will take place in September 2026 in Berlin. Dr. Philippe Pasquier serves as a member of the conference’s steering committee.
Abstract submission: April 4, 2026
Full paper, music, and tutorial submissions: April 18, 2026
More information: https://aimc2026.org/calls/call-for-submissions
Expanded 2026 – Conference on Animation and Interactive Art
The Expanded Conference on Animation and Interactive Art (Expanded 2026) invites submissions exploring animation, media art, and experimental moving image practices at the intersection of art, technology, and society. The conference will take place as part of the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria. Dr. Philippe Pasquier serves as a research track co-chair in this conference.
Submission deadline: May 1, 2026
More information: https://expanded-conf.org/
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You can find the Metacreation Lab here: https://www.metacreation.net/home and you can subscribe to the newsletter here: https://www.metacreation.net/contact.
If you are curious about the [Canada] National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, I have more from participant Kris Krüg’s Dispatches from Canada’s First AI + Culture Summit, which can also be seen in my March 23, 2026 posting (scroll down about 25% of the way to the subhead titled: [Canada] National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture.