At the heart of the Sundance Institute has always been a commitment to the artist’s voice. Today, as we navigate a transformative era for storytelling, we are launching a three-year product-agnostic AI Literacy Initiative for filmmakers with initial support from Google.org–the company’s philanthropy. The initiative will offer free and accessible learning opportunities and resources to educate our community about AI, and support artists to make informed decisions about whether and how to adopt or employ AI tools into their work. Sundance Collab, the digital extension of the Sundance Institute, will serve as the global platform to host the courses, events, and resources. Our hope is to nurture a more sustainable and equitable creative ecosystem for the future with human artists at the center.

This supports work across the organization and the industry and will provide free educational content and events. It will also establish a new year-long AI Creators Fellowship, run by the Institute’s Artist Accelerator Program. We will also launch a new AI Literacy Alliance, which will initially include The Gotham, Film Independent, and the Creators Coalition on AI (CCAI). 

The Gotham Film & Media Institute supports independent film and media creators with career-building resources, industry access, and pathways to recognition. Year-round programs include Gotham Week, The Gotham Film Awards, The Gotham Television Awards, Gotham EDU, Expanding Communities, and Filmmaker Magazine.

Film Independent is a nonprofit organization dedicated to championing creative independence in visual storytelling and supporting a global community of artists and audiences. Through year-round accessible educational programs and Artist Development labs and workshops, including its flagship program Project Involve, the organization nurtures filmmakers across fiction, nonfiction, and episodic storytelling. Film Independent also connects audiences with top independent cinema through Film Independent Presents and celebrates originality and excellence in film and television with the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Creators Coalition on AI (CCAI) is a convening organization born from the necessity for a central coordinating hub for discussions and action around how AI is impacting the film and television industry, as well as the broader creative community. The CCAI aims to facilitate in finding alignment within our industry, building and upgrading our industry’s systems and institutions in light of this new technology, and collectively fighting back against the worst risks that threaten the wellbeing of our industry and community. With a focus on copyright, jobs, guardrails against misuse, and safeguarding humanity in the creative process, the CCAI will ensure that the creators, not just the technologists, are setting the terms for when and how AI is being used in creative industries. Some founding members include: Daniel Kwan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jonathan Wang, Janet Yang, David Goyer, Ted Tremper, Natasha Lyonne, Jim Geduldick, Paul Trillo, Tim Friedlander, Nathalia Ramos, Alex Gardels, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Randhima Ferndando, Dawn Nakagawa, Jac Schaeffer, Nick Goddard, and Sian Heder.

We are excited to work with these organizations who share our values to help support our collective community. The program prioritizes the artistic voice, creative freedom, technological support, and community connection. 

The Sundance Institute’s AI Literacy Initiative aims to help artists integrate new technologies, navigate AI’s challenges, and share insights through a Resource Hub on Sundance Collab. Beyond the mechanics of the tools, we will also discuss many of the systemic challenges AI presents. Our content will address issues like the potential of algorithmic bias and the environmental footprint of large-scale AI. By providing artists with this information, we empower our community to make informed, responsible choices about the tools they use and to advocate for a sustainable creative ecosystem that is both inclusive and ecologically conscious. 

As Founding Senior Director of Artists Programs at Sundance Institute, my focus remains on how we support artists. We’ve seen how creators are wrestling with the ethical, creative, and practical implications of a rapidly shifting landscape, and we hope that we can help demystify some of the technologies, and create space to discuss different perspectives. This means tackling the hard questions head-on: how we protect intellectual property, the ethics of data collection, and the necessity of fair compensation. Our goal is to help shape the standards and definitions we all want to share, keeping humans at the center of creativity. 

We are honored to have the support of Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Sundance Institute Lab Fellow Daniel Kwan, who captures the urgency of this moment: “As our world transforms before us, we storytellers must act as informed stewards of our craft. Whether you are a curious artist who wants to harness the potential of these tools or a concerned citizen wanting to push back against the worst possibilities, a strong AI literacy will be necessary to meaningfully engage. This will require not only a strong technical education, but also a deeply contextual and ethical understanding of this technology and the many ways it will intersect with all aspects of our lives. While knowledge will bring us power, I fear that without pairing that knowledge with a deeply human wisdom, we may not be able to collectively steer our industry through this technological transition in a way that allows our filmmakers, our audiences, and our stories to continue to thrive. This is why I’m excited that Sundance Institute is spearheading this AI Literacy Initiative, as they have been an organization that has always understood the importance of nurturing that humanity in every filmmaker they work with.”

In striking this new ground, we were guided by our values. As champions of films driven by diverse and authentic voices, we firmly believe that human creativity, vision, and storytelling must remain at the heart of filmmaking. We also believe that AI can serve as a powerful tool that expands technical and practical applications for the independent filmmakers we serve. We would like to help shape a future where both must be true: using AI as a tool that advances independent film, while preserving the irreplaceable artistry, emotional depth, and lived experiences that artists bring to their craft.

We appreciate Google.org’s approach to this funding, which is part of their AI Opportunity Fund, supporting NGOs across the country to equip themselves with tools and training to be AI literate.  

We invite you to join us on Sundance Collab as we begin this journey of discovery together.