by Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, Belgium
On 11 September 2025, the Immersive Lab of AP Hogeschool in Antwerp became the stage for a gathering of researchers, companies, artists and legal experts, all exploring the fast-changing relationship between creativity and artificial intelligence. This event marked the conclusion of the TETRA Creative AI project, a two-year research initiative that brought together higher education institutions, technology organisations and businesses to test the limits of AI in creative industries.
The afternoon started with introductions from project lead Jeroen Cluckers (AP Hogeschool), Erik Vanhauwaert from the Flemish innovation agency VLAIO, and Luc Delrue, CEO of ENT.A, the newly established entertainment technology association. They emphasised how Flanders is positioning itself as a European hub for entertainment innovation, with investments in new campuses, training centres and international collaborations.
This was followed by a series of presentations, each from a different perspective on creative AI. Communication agency deBottomline showcased how generative tools can help structure ideas and speed up production in advertising. One striking example was a campaign video for Blue-bike, developed with the help of AP students, which tested whether AI could add emotion and storytelling to advertisement. The verdict seemed quite clear to me: while AI helped with preparation and experimentation, the final creative choices still needed the human input.
AP researcher Karen Pauwels introduced the audience to “general world models”, the next generation of AI systems that not only generate images but also understand physical laws and dynamics. These models promise more realistic videos, animations and 3D worlds, with huge potential for education, gaming and film.
The legal side of AI was addressed by lawyer Liesa Boghaert from Timelex, who presented a white paper guiding creators through the complex issue of various regulations, from the EU’s AI Act to copyright, privacy and contracts. Her message was both cautionary and reassuring: creative professionals can use AI tools lawfully, provided they respect transparency, authorship and data protection rules.
Next, artists and designers presented their views: Jeff Luyten from Uncanny proposed new ways of engaging audiences with AI prompts, while Sebastian Van de Perre of CAWAI demonstrated how AI drastically reduces production time for campaigns, turning weeks of work into days. Kristof Timmerman of Studio.POC connected performance art and AI, sharing interactive installations such as “Uncertain Tides” and “Cities Unseen”, both of which were demonstrated elsewhere in the venue.
The day ended with a panel discussion, reflecting on whether AI-based workflows from the creative industries could transfer to more sensitive fields such as education. Here, authenticity and credibility matter even more than novelty, sparking debate on where the limits of machine-assisted creativity should lie. The question was raised whether the principles and procedures that apply to the use of AI in entertainment and advertisement, will apply to some or the whole extent also to the use of AI in media production for education where the factor of reliability and trust outweighs the element of engagement.
The event ended with a small expo and networking session, where we could try out immersive installations and demos. The release of the “Creative AI Playbook” provided participants with practical frameworks such as the “Sense, Sample, Shape, Stage” model, designed to help teams use AI responsibly and effectively.
My conclusion of the day is that AI is not replacing human creativity but reshaping it.
Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, Belgium
Mathy is currently serving as Media & Learning Association President.
