Academic Perspective: Mapping the Ethics of AI in Documentary Film from Archives to Deepfakes
Who speaks with the voice of an algorithm? And who holds control over storytelling when the tool itself becomes a co-author? This academic panel mapped the ethical dilemmas brought by the use of artificial intelligence in documentary film. Speakers: Katerina Cizek, Lucie Králová, Miriam Ryndová, Andreea Lăcătuș, Marta Materska-Samek and Jan Motal.
Keynote with Dominic Lees: Documentary film in the era of artificial intelligence: accountability, trust, authenticity
Established conventions of documentary practice are undergoing a profound transformation in the age of artificial intelligence. This keynote examined both the theoretical and practical challenges facing the documentary: how, within an environment shaped by generative technologies, the web of trust between maker, protagonist, and audience is changing. Dominic Lees explored how AI reshapes not only modes of production and storytelling but also the very perception of documentary veracity, and how the value of authenticity can be preserved within a new technological and cultural context.
Case study with Piotr Winiewicz – When artificial intelligence creates like Werner Herzog: About a Hero
The experimental essay film About a Hero (2024) grew out of a bold experiment in co-authorship between a human and artificial intelligence. The creators developed bespoke tools and drew on a wide range of technologies—from text generation and voice synthesis to image experiments—to test whether an algorithm can assume the role of narrator, emulating Werner Herzog’s voice. In this case study of About a Hero, Piotr Winiewicz presented the film’s making and the reflections that shaped his thinking about authorship, originality, and human control during production.
Industry perspective: Who controls documentary film in the era of AI?
Who really decides what a film looks like today – the director, the producer, the lawyer, or the algorithm? Panelists Szilvia Ruszev, Tomáš Rampula, Veronika Macurová Křížová and Tomáš Elšík discussed the questions of power and control in documentary filmmaking, questions made even more complex by the rise of generative AI. How does the relationship between filmmaker and technology shift? What happens when algorithms shape dramaturgy, distribution, or even content itself? And ultimately, who bears responsibility – for the story, for ethics, for the audience’s trust?
