Speaking
Talks, panels & workshops
Talks, panels and workshops at national and international conferences, on AI and the creative economy, virtual production, immersive technology and how innovation actually gets done.
I talk about what AI is actually doing to film, music, games and media, and how to make people better at their work with it, never redundant. I write Dream Machine, cited by The Economist and Fast Company.
Recent stages include Sound City, Beyond Conference, Manchester Animation Festival and ARVR Innovate in Dublin.
Short bio
For programmes and press
Pete Woodbridge is a Liverpool-based AI consultant and creative technologist, and Digital & Technology Cluster Lead for the Liverpool City Region. He writes Dream Machine, a book, newsletter and podcast on AI and the next creative economy, cited by The Economist and Fast Company, and directs the R&D lab Dreamlab. He has worked with the BBC, Aardman, Google and Epic Games, and was named in the BIMA 100 and the 500 UK Trailblazers for AI workflow innovation.
Topics
What I talk about.
- AI and the next creative economyThe thread through Dream Machine, and through talks from Beyond Conference to Sound City
- Creative AI and AI in musicCreativity + AI: Music at Creative Manchester; Technology, AI and Music at Modern Music Cities
- Practical AIPractical AI in Action, a workshop at Beyond Conference
- AI and copyrightCopyright and AI panel at the Innovate UK BridgeAI Annual Showcase
- AI, spatial computing and realtimeWhen Spatial Meets AI at ARVR Innovate, Dublin; AI and realtime convergence at Modern Audiences Conference
- Virtual production and digital puppetryVirtual Production: State of the Art in Liverpool; digital puppetry at Manchester Animation Festival
- Immersive technology and storytellingImmersive and AR storytelling talks at ARVR Innovate, Laval Virtual and the Northern Media Summit
- Music tech beyond the capitalBeyond the Capital at Sound City; Write the Future: Music and Technology Conference
- Innovation in the media industriesPanel at Prolific North's Digital Cities Festival
2026
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Creative Panel member at 'Beyond the Capital: Building Music Tech that Works Everywhere' at Sound City Conference
2025
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Speaker at 'Creativity + AI: Music' at Creative Manchester, University of Manchester
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Practical AI in Action Workshop at Beyond Conference
2024
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Dreamlab and MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH) Showcase Speaker at Beyond Conference
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Panel Member at Animation Connections Conference, part of Manchester Animation Festival
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Digital Puppetry Workshop and Showcase at Manchester Animation Festival
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Immersive Tech Panel at 'Digital Television Group FutureTech Event'
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AI and Future Media & Sound Panel at KITPLUS Manchester
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'Copyright and AI', Panel Member at Innovate UK BridgeAI Annual Showcase
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'When Spatial Meets AI' at ARVR Innovate 2024, Dublin
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Panel Member at Digital Cities Festival, talking about Innovation in the Media Industries
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Panel Member at Modern Audiences Conference, discussing AI and Realtime Convergence at Leeds Beckett University
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Various talks and workshops at MediaCity Innovation events I helped to organise, including AI Jam, XR Jam, Virtual Production Lab, Animating Tomorrow Lab, ComfyUI Hack and more
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Talk with Andy Miah on 'Immersive Intelligence' at University of Salford DIT
2023
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Speaker at "Modern Music Cities" Conference in Liverpool (2023) on a panel about Technology, AI and Music
2022
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Organiser and Panel Chair at 'Virtual Production: State of the Art' (2022) in Liverpool, with guests from Epic Games, Studio Ulster and Production Park. Organised in Collaboration with LJMU
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Organiser and Panel Chair at 'Write the Future: Music and Technology Conference' (2022) in Liverpool, organised in collaboration with META & the Liverpool Music Board
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'Working in Immersive Tech' (2022), Event at Birmingham City University/Worcester University
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'Beyond the Metaverse and the Future of Experience', ARVR Innovate 2022
2020
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Panel Chair at ARVR Innovate 2020 in Dublin, for a session on 'Immersive Tech and Creative Industries'
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'Digital Humans' event at Avenue HQ Liverpool
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'Maritime augmented reality, as a tool for immersive experiences for ferry and cruise operators between the UK and Ireland, creating new commercial opportunities for the marketing, advertising and tourism sectors'. Marine Design International Conference, RINA, Cadiz, Spain
2019
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Immersive Storytelling in Tourism Talk at Advantage Austria Event in Dublin
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Immersive Storytelling Panel Member at ARVR Innovate Dublin
2018
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Augmenting Place: Story R&D with the Invisible Landscape. Immersive Storytelling Experiences Research Symposium
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Spaceships, Monsters, Time Travel & Digital Ghosts. Volumetric Placemaking Adventures with Augmented Reality and Spatial Computing. Arts in Science Talk, Liverpool
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Woodbridge, P (and others) (2018) Immersive Storytelling Panel -Augmented Reality Storytelling at ARVR Manchester International Conference. ARVR-Conference-Programme-2018
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Immersive Storylab Presentation on Augmented Reality Storytelling, Northern Media Summit, Manchester
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Secret Coast, ARVR Marketplace Pitch, Digital Catapult Centre, London
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Augmented Reality Storytelling, Laval Virtual, France
2017
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'On The Mediality of Place: Digital Placemaking and the future of Mixed Urban Reality' at ESRC Ways of Being in a Digital Age Conference, Liverpool
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Black, R & Woodbridge, P (2017) 'The essence of VR and AR' at Liverpool Knowledge Quarter, VR Event
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'How can business harness the power of VR and AR' BusinessCloud Event, Manchester
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Verity, M & Woodbridge, P (2017) 'Imagining Future Cities: Mixed Reality and the Transformation of Urban Experiential Space'.International AR and VR Conference, Manchester
2016
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'Pokemon Go Away: Digital Urbanism and Mediated Architectures'. Coventry University Media Research Seminars invited Speaker
Pokemon Go Away: Digital Urbanism and Mediated Architectures
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‘The Immersive Storylab. Speculative Mediations on the Future of Media Practice'. Part of the Plenary panel discussing Future Screens at the Journal of Media Practice / MeCCSA Practice Network Annual Symposium. London South Bank University
The Immersive Storylab. Speculative Mediations on the Future of Media Practice
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‘Control Societies’ Essay Featured in an Augmented HyperVideo Book developed by Mute Publishing and Open Humanities Press
2015
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'Art, Technology and Activism: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Crime in Sicily and Irregular Migration in sub-Saharan Africa' at Enhancing Interdisciplinarity, University of Liverpool
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‘Performing the Secret’ Experimental Publishing Workshop at Politics and Practices of Secrecy, Kings College London
2013
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‘Liquid Cinema Project’ Talk at Raindance Film Centre on the Postgraduate Degree in Film, London
2012
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‘Open Source Media Practice: The Creative Activism Open Education Project’ at Beyond Content, Open Education Conference, Vancouver
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Birchall, C, Hall, G and Woodbridge, P (2012) ‘The Post-Secret State: Openness and Transparency in the Era of Government 2.0’ in Ctrl-Z - New Media Philosophy alongside a short essay 'How to Do Justice to Media Specificity—Or, Should This Video Be Left to Speak for Itself?'
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‘Open Creativity and Transformation in Independent Film’ University of Warwick Cultural Policy Studies Visiting talk
2011
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Adema, J and Woodbridge, P (2011) ‘Symbiosis: Ecologies, Assemblages and Evolution’ Edited Digital Book as Part of the ‘Living Books About Life’ Series, Open Humanities Press
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Mair, J and Woodbridge P (2011) 'Facing the Future in Higher Education' Chapter in Book 'Face the Future: Tools for the Modern Media Age', Abramis Press
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'Open Pedagogies in Creative Media: Moving from knowledge consumption to exchange' June 2011, at Post-digital Encounters, Journal of Media Practice Annual Conference at the Digital Culture Research Centre, Bristol
2010
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Hides, S and Woodbridge, P (2010) 'Open Source Education: A radical case for the Arts and Humanities', Coventry School of Art and Design Open Media Seminar Series, Coventry University
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'Integrated uses of media platforms in HE in University Teaching Resources', Association for Commonwealth Universities Annual Conference, Melbourne Australia
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‘Integrated Use of Emerging Media Platforms', Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), London
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‘Opening Up Educational Resources at Coventry University’ Elate Conference, Coventry University
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Birchall, C, Hall, G and Woodbridge, P (2010) 'Deleuze's Postscript on Societies of Control' in Culture Machine, Open Humanities Press
2009
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‘CUTV: Academic Dissemination through Multimedia’ Elate Conference, Coventry University
2007
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‘Personal Media in the West Midlands Film Archive: a project idea’. At ‘Private materials in the Public Realm’ AHRC funded Seminar Series, Coventry University
2006
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‘Same But Different’. At NUI, Galway conference: 'The Challenge of Diversity: Teaching, Support and Student Learning’ Conference
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‘Equality and Diversity in Education: A Training Resource’. At HEA (Higher Education Academy) conference: Curriculum Innovation For Diversity, York University
FAQ
Questions about speaking.
Is Pete Woodbridge available as a keynote speaker on creative AI?
Yes. Pete Woodbridge is a Liverpool-based speaker on creative AI, virtual production and immersive technology, and gives keynotes, panel talks and practical workshops at national and international conferences. LinkedIn is the quickest way to get in touch.
What does he speak about?
AI and the next creative economy, creative AI and AI in music, practical AI for creative teams, AI and copyright, virtual production, immersive technology and storytelling, and how innovation actually gets done in the media and music industries.
Where has he spoken recently?
Recent appearances include Sound City Conference, Creativity + AI: Music at the University of Manchester, Beyond Conference, Manchester Animation Festival, the Innovate UK BridgeAI Annual Showcase and ARVR Innovate in Dublin. The full list is on this page.
Does he run workshops and chair panels as well as giving talks?
Yes. He runs practical workshops, such as Practical AI in Action at Beyond Conference and a digital puppetry workshop at Manchester Animation Festival, and has organised and chaired panels including Virtual Production: State of the Art in Liverpool.
Need a speaker?
Conferences, panels, workshops and teaching. I am happiest when it is practical and there is something to argue about.
Pitch me a talk