What we do

Strategic watch, foresight, representation and advocacy.

Engagement, knowledge-sharing, publication and education.

Programming and professional development.

About Us

Founded in 2017 by Valentine Goddard, AI Impact Alliance (AIIA) co-designs responsible AI with artists and cultural workers. Under her leadership, AI Impact Alliance is proud to be a founding member of the International Observatory on the Ethical and Social Impact of AI (OBVIA) and the Consortium for Responsible AI (McGill, UQAM, Waterloo, TMU, UWO). Its programs position the critical role of arts and culture in AI, both in development (access to tools and resources) and governance (ethical and legal safeguards).

The non-profit organization's mission is to ensure the presence of artists in discussions on AI governance, both nationally and internationally, advocating for their consultation in AI-related policies, regulations and laws; and study the legal and economic implications of AI and generative AI platforms through art and inter-art projects. Through artistic interventions along the technology development process, AIIA contributes to vibrant digital democracies by promoting citizen participation, interdisciplinary AI design and best practices in AI ethics.

Achievements include: 

  • The Art Impact AI Coalition, a petition signed by nearly 2,000 people, many of them artists and cultural leaders, has resulted in a significant number of large-scale consultations on the implications of generative AI (2023).

  • Five editions of the AI on a Social Mission conference, which has included artists in the program since its inaugural program (2018).

  • The Art, AI and Society Composite (2019), Art and AI (2023).

  • The Art Impact AI programs (2019) which engaged with over 250 artists across Canada on the impact they wanted to have on AI, leading to UN policies highlighting the role of art in digital governance.

  • Residencies and the Art and AI Fellowships (4 prizes awarded in 2021).

  • Documentaries, exhibitions and other interactive media to engage artists and civil society on the ethical and social implications of AI (interactive documentary co-directed Ma Mer, Indigenous Algorithms (under consultation), PearAI web app, Algorithmic Frontiers interactive exhibition, and others.

  • International representation on behalf of the Canadian government (Chile, Singapore, Brazil, Boston).

AI Impact Alliances creates an Art, AI, Law and Society Resource Cluster. 

The AI, Art, Law and Society Resource Cluster is a platform aimed at seizing the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI in the arts and culture sector, while addressing its legal and economic implications. Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and its members, the Resource Cluster serves as a place of research, creation and exchange, and offers a program of collaborative learning and resource sharing, including 3 paid residency/fellowships, workshops and an annual conference. The aim is to anticipate and respond to the imminent challenges presented by AI, help inform emerging AI policies and regulations, and promote the important role of the arts sector in democracy and cultural security. Adopting a gender-sensitive intersectional perspective, the Cluster aims to balance technological innovation and social justice, serving as a counterweight to the growing influence of tech giants on public policy and AI governance. Our approach, since the founding of the alliance in 2017, aims to build a transdisciplinary bridge between art, AI, and research-creation, while accentuating their societal impact. 

The platform's main fields of action : Strategic watch, foresight, representation and advocacy: Ongoing monitoring of legal and technological developments to adapt arts sector practices and policies to the era of generative AI in an international context. Sharing our observations and actively participating in public consultations and conferences to inform public policy related to AI in the arts. Develop a certification model and best practices. Publication and education: Dissemination of explanatory writings and summaries on the issues of generative AI in the arts, as well as a final report on RAG capabilities, consent issues, and innovative business models such as data trusts. Programming and professional development: Organization of bimonthly meetings, workshops, and an annual conference. Design programming to facilitate adaptation to change for artists whose incomes are likely to be affected by AI, exploration of new business models including cultural data trusts by leveraging existing initiatives, increasing outreach and exploring new mechanisms for the valorization of the arts and culture sector. Activities include: • The publication of explanatory documentation on generative AI in the arts and culture sector; • Publication of a summary of issues and identification of key issues for 2024-25 (strategic plan); • Representation at public consultations and conferences aimed at informing public policy on AI when it has a significant impact on the arts and culture sector. • A study of new governance practices for generative AI in the arts; • Sector-specific research exploring new business models combining Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and artist data trusts. • An in-depth examination of the ability of RAGs to counter bias, to protect the consent of a work's authors when used to train an algorithm; • A collective reflection on the protection of the economic and moral rights of cultural professionals and profit-sharing mechanisms. The Cluster is a platform benefiting many Canadian artists, arts groups and organizations, as well as any person or organization adopting Responsible AI policies.

Our founder: Lawyer, certified mediator, and inter-arts commissioner, Valentine Goddard is a member of the Canada AI Advisory Council and a United Nations expert on AI policy and governance. She founded this visionary interdisciplinary organisation that integrates art-based approaches to the study of the social implications of AI in 2017. She designs and leads transdisciplinary programs that link civic engagement, knowledge mobilisation, and policy and regulatory innovation. Her work has contributed to the adoption of international policies highlighting the role of arts and civil society in AI governance. Ms. Goddard participates in the analysis of emerging AI and data laws and the co-development of sustainable value creation models for digital and creative economies. She initiated and chaired an international expert group on gender equality and the environment in digital economies in 2021 and 2022, with policy recommendations presented before UN stakeholders addressing critical issues for the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. In 2023, she received the Mozilla Creative Media Award and currently leads the AI, Art, Law & Society Resource Cluster (including The Art-Laws grants) with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and its members.

In our collaborators’ words.

  • As AI technology advances at a dizzying pace, what communities and perspectives are being left out, and how will this shape the narratives and stories of the future? We need to create the necessary guardrails to ensure that AI practices uphold democracy, equity, and pluralism. That’s why Inspirit Foundation joined the AI Impact Alliance.

    Sadia Zaman, CEO, Inspirit Foundation

  • Generative AI brings with it seismic impacts on the practice and profession of visual arts, and so it’s essential that the arts sector is able to co-create policy to define, protect, and advance the future of artistic expression in Canada. But given the magnitude and complexity of AI technology, sound policy solutions should be the product of processes that bring artists together, that foster space for creative, theoretical, and existential ideation, and encourage a diversity of voice and viewpoint. This is why the AI Impact Alliance’s contribution is so necessary, and why CARFAC Ontario is delighted to become a member.

    Jason Samilski, Executive Director, CARFAC Ontario

  • The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence defines a new era for artists and their relationship to copyright, requiring close collaboration between creators and policy-makers. To navigate this ever-changing landscape with its complex components, it is crucial that policies emerge from inclusive processes, where diverse perspectives fuel innovation and legality. In becoming a member of the AIIA, RAAV is confident that it has found a trusted partner to build this bridge between creativity and digital democracy, to ensure that visual artists can benefit equally with other stakeholders from the opportunities that this technology brings.

    Camille Cazin, Executive Director, directrice générale, Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels (RAAV)

  • My opinion on the contribution of art to the social issues of AI is that it's a way of nurturing collective reflection on the choices we'll have to make, which will have legal, economic and political ramifications. Art contributes to this through, among other things, the emotions and mental images that works of art (of all kinds) can arouse. Obviously, the form can be very different depending on the art form. And it's very important, this 'gut' aspect. For years, I thought I understood on a superficially rational level the arguments of certain researchers about the existential risks of AI, but I didn't do anything to dig into this and deal with it. It was when the arrival of ChatGPT forced me to confront the possibility of these risks, and above all to digest them emotionally, that my actions and plans really changed.

    Yoshua Bengio, Deep Learning Researcher and Professor, Scientific Director, Mila

  • How can we combine digital democracy and cultural democracy? Between creativity and legality, a whole field is opening up for our artists!

    Nathalie Bondil, Director of Museum and Exhibitions, Arab World Institute, Paris

  • As AI technology advances rapidly, the arts community will require a dependable source and repository to explore both potential opportunities and potential pitfalls. This evolution will entail legal complexities, a perpetual influx of novel creative considerations, and a necessity to forge connections across various sub-sectors. Mass Culture looks forward to collaborating with AIIA as a community partner, ensuring that the sector effectively harnesses its wealth of information and creative output.” Robin Sokoloski, Director of Organizational Development, Mass Culture | Mobilisation culturelle

    Robin Sokoloski, Robin Sokoloski, Director of Organizational Development, Mass Culture

  • As we are making strides in hardcore AI technology and witnessing paradigm shifts in power dynamics within society and the workforce as a result of technological innovations, we must be extra mindful of ways through which arts, creativity, and cultural engagement can ensure a balanced approach to progress and that is exactly why the Cluster is such a critical and timely initiative.

    Ebrahim Bagheri, Professor and researcher, Responsible AI Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University