Attending "Responsible AI for Documentary" workshop at the Netherlands Film Academy

Today I attended a one-day workshop at the Netherlands Film Academy that tackled a question I’ve been wrestling with in my own practice: how do we sustain trust in documentary filmmaking when images, voices, and even “evidence” can be synthetically produced?

Hosted by Artefacto, the workshop moved far beyond the usual hype or moral panic around AI. Instead, it offered something I found refreshing: practical, transparent frameworks for using these tools without abandoning the rigor and ethics that define non-fiction cinema.

As someone working in documentary and hybrid forms, I often find myself navigating the delicate space between observation, interpretation, and creative intervention. The rise of generative AI has complicated that space even further. I’ve been asking myself how to integrate new technologies without betraying the responsibilities I feel toward my subjects, my audience, and the histories I touch. The workshop gave language and structure to some of these internal debates. It reminded me that adapting my practice doesn’t mean diluting it; it means rethinking authorship, consent, and representation with even more attentiveness.

I appreciated how the day framed AI not as a shortcut or a threat but as a tool that demands humility, clarity, and self-awareness. As Artefacto puts it, documentary’s future depends not on refusing generative tools, but on wielding them with the rigor the form has always demanded. That resonated deeply with my own desire to explore new creative possibilities without abandoning the ethical spine of my work.

I’m leaving with new methods, new questions, and a stronger sense of how to keep my own filmmaking processes transparent in an era where the line between the real and the synthetic is increasingly negotiable. More importantly, I’m leaving with a renewed commitment to adapt—not just technologically, but ethically, so that the documentaries I make continue to hold space for trust, care, and accountability.

Event information