ANNOUNCEMENTS:

30-10-2024. Provisional programme is now published. Early bird registration open until 29 November.

Creativity in the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence: audio description in a changing world

The ARSAD (Advanced Research Seminar on Audio Description) community will meet again on 19, 20 and 21 March 2025 in Barcelona and celebrate its 10thanniversary. ARSAD started in 2007 as a small-scale seminar with around 25 participants interested in what was an innovative practice and research topic. Since then, ARSAD has expanded and has become the international reference conference for audio description. Every two years a welcoming community of researchers, industry representatives, trainers, trainees, users, practitioners, regulators, broadcasters, policy makers, social activists, cultural managers, and anyone interested in audio description (AD) meet for two days to take stock of the past, present and, most importantly, future of this access service. 

Generative Artificial Intelligence has exploded onto the scene and has provoked both excitement and rejection. Seen by some as a transformative force and by others as a potential devaluation of human creativity, ARSAD aims to explore the topic with an open and critical mind. We have invited Sabine Braun, from Surrey University, to discuss the topic of Artificial Intelligence and Audio Description in her keynote talk to learn more about the opportunities and challenges it poses.

For this ARSAD we have also teamed up with the WEL project (From written to oral texts in Easy Language: easy audios in cultural visits and video games), led by TransMedia Catalonia, to study innovative access services inspired by audio description which may cater for new audiences, including neurodiverse users. 

But ARSAD will be what our community wants it to be through their participation. Therefore, we invite all of you to submit abstracts for presentations that address a wide array of themes from diverse perspectives and backgrounds which include but are not limited to:

  • AD experiences across the globe in diverse formats and environments, from live to recorded events, from video games to opera, from traditional broadcasting to streaming platforms.
  • AD business models and workflows: creation and translation, automatization, new distribution systems.
  • Technologies in audio description.
  • Training audio describers.
  • Using audio description as a training tool.
  • Audio introductions, touch tours, audio subtitling.
  • User-generated audio descriptions.
  • AD translation.
  • Historical approaches to AD.
  • AD delivery: prosody and voicing.
  • Easy-to-understand language and AD.
  • Immersive environments and the metaverse.
  • Blockchain and copyright.
  • AD in minority languages.
  • Standardisation and policy-making.
  • User involvement and ethical aspects.
  • Green and sustainable AD.
  • Audio subtitling and AD-related access services.
  • Accessible filmmaking and creativity in AD.

Our aim is to generate a lively discussion. This is why presentations will be limited to 15 minutes and they will be included in a panel session where ample time for discussion will be allotted. Shorter 10-minute presentations can also be accepted for work in progress. Please plan your proposal so that it fits your selected time. 

Important deadlines

  • Submission of proposals finished on 6 September 2024. Closed.
  • Notification of rejection/acceptance: 4 November 2024. Sent on 08-10-2024.
  • Early bird registration closes on 29 November 2024.
  • Standard registration closes on 1 March 2025.

Conference: 19-20-21 March 2025.