Open Call: Trust me, I’m an AI/rtist Creative Interventions

Deadline: 30-Sep-2026

Trust Me, I’m an AI/rtist is inviting artists and creative practitioners to submit proposals for creative interventions that critically explore experimental generative AI tools and their role in the arts. The open call welcomes artists, theatre makers, choreographers, dancers, game designers, creative technologists, and collectives interested in questioning, exploring, and reimagining how experimental AI technologies are developed and used. Selected artists will work directly with seven generative AI Enablers, which are being co-created with technologists and professionals working in dance, theatre, and gaming. Rather than simply testing whether the tools function as intended, participants are encouraged to investigate their underlying assumptions, cultural implications, and creative possibilities. Commissioned artists will receive a fee of €20,000 excluding VAT, covering artist fees, travel, accommodation, and production costs. The programme will run from January to September 2027, concluding with final presentations in September 2027.

About Trust Me, I’m an AI/rtist

Trust Me, I’m an AI/rtist is an open call focused on critical and creative engagement with experimental generative AI. The programme seeks artists who are willing to go beyond simply adopting new AI technologies and instead question how these tools are created, what assumptions they contain, and how they might be used differently within artistic practice. Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with seven experimental generative AI Enablers being developed through collaboration between technologists and professionals from dance, theatre, and gaming. What Is the Aim of the Open Call? The programme aims to encourage artists to critically investigate experimental AI tools rather than approach them only as technologies to be tested or adopted. Selected participants are encouraged to explore: - The assumptions underlying AI tools. - The cultural implications of generative AI. - New creative possibilities enabled by AI. - Alternative ways of using AI technologies. - The relationship between AI and artistic practice. - New and unexpected applications of experimental AI tools. The programme welcomes approaches that question conventional ideas about how AI should be developed and used in the arts. Who Can Apply? The open call is aimed at individual artists and collectives working in relevant creative disciplines.

Eligible applicants may include:

- Visual artists. - Theatre makers. - Dancers. - Choreographers. - Game designers. - Creative technologists. - Artistic collectives. Applicants must have a VAT number in Europe. What Are the Generative AI Enablers? Selected artists will work directly with seven generative AI Enablers. These tools are being co-created with technologists and professionals from: - Dance. - Theatre. - Gaming. The Enablers provide the technological basis for the selected artistic interventions. However, the programme is not simply seeking participants who want to test the functionality of these systems. Artists are encouraged to use the tools as a starting point for deeper artistic and critical investigation. Critical Investigation of AI A central element of the programme is the distinction between adopting AI tools and critically investigating them. Applicants are encouraged to question the technologies rather than simply accept their existing functions or intended uses.

Proposals can investigate:

- How AI systems reflect particular assumptions. - Cultural questions surrounding AI development. - How generative AI affects artistic practices. - What new artistic possibilities the technologies could create. - How AI tools might be challenged or subverted. - What alternative uses can be imagined for experimental AI. This critical approach is an important part of the open call. What Artistic Approaches Are Welcomed? The programme welcomes a broad range of creative approaches.

Proposals may be:

- Speculative. - Critical. - Poetic. - Performative. - Disruptive. Artists are encouraged to challenge existing approaches to AI in the arts, subvert expected uses, or invent new ways of working with the technology. The emphasis is on creative interventions that generate questions and possibilities rather than simply demonstrating technical functionality. Moving Beyond AI Adoption Applicants should demonstrate a willingness to move beyond straightforward adoption of AI technologies. The programme encourages artists to consider how experimental AI tools can become subjects of artistic inquiry themselves. Rather than asking only what an AI system can do, artists may explore questions around: - Why the system works in a particular way. - What assumptions influence its development. - How technology interacts with culture. - What artistic possibilities remain unexplored. - How conventional uses of AI can be questioned or disrupted. What Funding Is Available? Commissioned artists will receive a fee of: - €20,000 excluding VAT

The commission covers:

- Artist fees. - Travel. - Accommodation. - Production costs. The funding is therefore intended to support the artist’s participation and development of the commissioned creative work throughout the programme. Programme Timeline The programme will run from January to September 2027. The programme will culminate in final presentations in September 2027, giving commissioned artists an opportunity to present the outcomes of their creative interventions. What Should Applicants Demonstrate? Applicants should present a proposal that clearly demonstrates their interest in critically engaging with experimental generative AI.

The proposal should communicate:

- The artistic idea or intervention. - How the project will engage with the experimental AI tools. - The questions the artist wants to explore. - The cultural or creative issues being investigated. - How the project moves beyond simply adopting the technology. - The proposed artistic approach. Applicants sh