Expanding artistic possibility: How SIRT is strengthening the creative industries through applied AI research

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most debated technologies in the creative industries. Concerns about authorship, originality and artistic displacement often dominate the conversation. Yet within applied research environments where technology is developed in direct partnership with creators and storytellers, a different narrative emerges.

At Sheridan’s Screen Industries Research and Training (SIRT) Centre, which advances innovation in storytelling and content creation through leading-edge applied research, AI is not positioned as a replacement for artistic expression. Instead, it is being explored as a tool that expands creative capacity and lowers barriers to innovation.

Reflected in Sheridan’s recent recognition as a national leader in applied artificial intelligence by Research Infosource Inc. research college rankings, SIRT prioritizes pairing technical advancement with ethical governance to ensure its AI research is built on partner trust, high security standards and human centered design.

This approach is evident in two recent projects, through which SIRT is applying AI technologies to help creators reach their audiences in new and meaningful ways, establish additional pathways for revenue generation, improve workflow efficiencies and remain competitive in an increasingly digital space.

From the stage to an interactive digital world

Like many arts organizations, cultural non-profit Camber Arts is continuously seeking ways to expand their audience reach and build long term resilience in an increasingly digital landscape. However, the technical expertise and production infrastructure required to adapt creative work across multiple platforms can be difficult to establish independently.

Partnering with SIRT on the research project “AI Foundations for multi-platforming cultural non-profit IP” provided Camber Arts with the resources to explore how its stories could evolve beyond a physical stage and into interactive digital formats.

Supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Mobilize grant, the project first examined how AI and virtual production tools could lower barriers to digital adaptation. By developing early prototypes using Python, Streamlit and Gemini AI to create simple 3D scenes and game concept documents from text prompts, SIRT demonstrated how AI can help teams quickly explore ideas and experiment in the early stages of development, without dealing with the time, cost or complexity of a full production pipeline.

This, alongside accessible models of what multi-platform storytelling could look like at a manageable scale for a smaller non-profit, provided Camber Arts with a clearer understanding of the requirements, risks and opportunities associated with AI which will help them with future digital planning and decision making.

Looking ahead, SIRT and Camber Arts will continue collaborating on more advanced prototyping and further refinement of AI-supported tools that will broaden access to their work, reduce production strain and expand revenue potential. Their findings also present a roadmap for other cultural arts organizations looking to do the same.

Streamlining bringing digital characters to life

Traditionally, animating believable full-body character movement requires significant time and resources. Animators often must manually create body movements frame by frame or rely on motion-capture systems that can be costly to operate.

Through the development of M-Body, an open-source bilingual applied research initiative supported by the NSERC Applied Research and Technology Partnership grant, SIRT is expanding access to generative animation tools that can help creators produce realistic character performances more efficiently and affordably.

Collaborating with Durham College’s Mixed Reality Capture Studio and AI Hub, Le Centre de développement et de recherche en intelligence numérique (CDRIN) and Le Laboratoire en innovation ouverte (LLio), SIRT put its expertise in performance capture, character animation and interactive software development to use, determining how AI can help coordinate a character’s full range of movement. This ensures that gestures, body language and facial expressions are perfectly synchronized with character speech.

Through the creation of animation datasets and software tools, M-body supports the creation of next generation animation tools which will allow animators to focus more on performance, storytelling and creative direction - the elements that bring characters to life. As M-Body will be shared as an open-source resource, it also reduces cost — lowering barriers to production while still maintaining the high standards expected in professional animation. This means the project isn’t just supporting big production companies, but small or independent creators too, ultimately bridging the gap between emerging research and practical tools that creators can use in real production environments.

Driving innovation in the arts

Across both projects, a consistent principle emerges: AI tools can support artists in extending and amplifying their creative outputs. This is reflected in SIRT’s applied research model which ensures that the use of AI technologies is not only responsive to the needs of creators but shaped by industry and community collaboration that reduces risk, builds sector capacity and grounds technological advancement in real-world artistic needs.

Together, these initiatives showcase how when AI technology is developed and incorporated through responsible, human-centered practices, it can amplify imagination and expand access — contributing to a more resilient, sustainable and innovative cultural sector.

Learn more about how Generator at Sheridan and SIRT are trusted AI innovation partners.