The AI FUTURE Forum took place on May 17, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:00 (GMT+2) at the Palais Stage, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
The forum was initiated by the Lab of Shadow at Communication University of China, and organized by the Cannes Film Festival Organizing Committee, Sequence Film Lab, and the European Association for Cultural Exchange and Cooperation (AECC), with TapNow providing full technical support. It centered on the core theme: “Generated images, stories and performances — what remains human?”
Artificial intelligence was profoundly reshaping the ecosystem of moving image creation. It broke down barriers of resources, institutions and industries to broaden opportunities for creators, while putting forward essential questions about cinema: Did AI-generated works own genuine originality? Could synthetic images convey real emotions? Could audiences build profound connections with AI-generated characters? Rejecting simplistic binary thinking, the forum adopted a constructive, neutral and rational perspective to explore people-oriented and sustainable ways for AI application within the film industry.
Core members of PROMISE were invited to attend the forum. PROMISE was a next-generation entertainment studio founded in Los Angeles, operating at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cinematic storytelling. Built for the era of generative AI, the company brought together filmmakers, visual effects artists, and industry executives from leading organizations such as Netflix, Google, and Technicolor. PROMISE was rethinking how films and narrative worlds could be conceived and produced through hybrid and fully AI-driven workflows. Its practice spanned development, production, and high-end AI visual effects, supported by its affiliated platforms, including The Generation Company and Curious Refuge — one of the world’s largest AI film education communities. Backed by major investors and working in close collaboration with cutting-edge AI research teams, PROMISE stood at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field, exploring new models of authorship, production, and storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence.
Lizz Lyons acted as the forum moderator. As a senior Producer and Development Executive at PROMISE, she boasted extensive experience across the global high-end entertainment industry. She had led the development of multiple international drama series for Amazon MGM and taken part in producing Emmy-nominated works including Homeland and House of Cards. She possessed comprehensive professional capabilities covering series development, IP incubation, international co-production and full-cycle film production.
Dave Clark participated as a key panel speaker. As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of PROMISE, he was a pioneer in hybrid filmmaking. He pioneered the combination of traditional film production and generative AI technology, and had created world-leading fully AI-driven narrative works. Prior to founding PROMISE, he had directed numerous well-received commercial videos and brand promotional contents for world-famous brands including Snapchat, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Warner Bros. and Intel.
Moreover, the forum invited distinguished panelists including Story Chen, director of the 2022 Cannes Short Film Palme d’Or winning work The Water Murmurs and founder of Memory Lab, as well as Harry Zhang, Co-Founder of Sequence Film Lab. A number of outstanding emerging AI creators from home and abroad were also present to share innovative achievements and practical experience in global AI storytelling.
As the exclusive technical partner of the event, TapNow delivered full-chain integrated creative services ranging from conceptual design, image generation and sequence arrangement to interactive experience building via its globally original intelligent creation canvas system. Paper Phone, a work incubated by its TapTV community, was selected for official screening at the Short Film Corner of the 79th Festival de Cannes and had accumulated over 100 million views worldwide, vividly demonstrating the innovative vitality of new-generation AI-native storytelling.
This forum brought together global creators, AI technical experts, institutional representatives and industry decision-makers. It held in-depth discussions on authorship, emotional expression, creative independence and industrial ethics in the AI era, facilitated the establishment of international cooperation mechanisms and cross-cultural communication, and helped emerging filmmakers adapt to technological changes steadily.
It sincerely invited film practitioners, creators, researchers and cinema enthusiasts all over the world to join this forward-looking dialogue, and jointly draw the future blueprint for the integrated and harmonious development of cinema and artificial intelligence.
Editors' Picks
