AI in unscripted TV: Rights and realities

As part of the Mind Your Business strand, we're offering training in a range of areas related to business management & development, production finance, legal & business affairs, rights, and compliance, giving individuals the tools needed to thrive in their chosen field in unscripted TV. 

AI is transforming the creative landscape, but for many, its role in unscripted TV remains unclear. Is it a tool for efficiency? A creative partner? A risk to storytelling integrity and established ways of working? In this session, a media lawyer and AI expert will guide you through how AI is already being used, the challenges it presents, and the importance of using the technology responsibly. We will take an honest, practical look at AI’s role in our industry, cutting through the jargon to explore its possibilities while addressing the ethical and creative questions it raises.

Who it's for

This session is designed for anyone working in unscripted TV who wants to better understand AI’s role and impact, including:

• Producers and production managers looking to streamline workflows and navigate compliance.
• Editors and post-production teams interested in AI tools for editing, tagging, and automation.
• Casting teams and researchers exploring AI-driven talent discovery and audience analysis.
• Legal and business affairs professionals addressing intellectual property, transparency, and rights management.
• Development teams considering how AI can influence audience engagement and storytelling.

Trainer:
Kelsey Farish is a media lawyer recognised as one of Europe’s leading authorities on AI in the entertainment industry. Bridging the gap between traditional media law and emerging technologies, she has extensive experience advising creatives and technology professionals on navigating both the benefits and challenges associated with AI. A contracts lawyer by background, Kelsey specialises in intellectual property and publicity as well as privacy and data protection, and helps clients protect their content and ensure ethical, transparent use of new technologies such as digital replicas (deepfakes) and voice cloning. Kelsey has provided insights to the European Parliament and the European Audiovisual Observatory, and has appeared on the BBC and other news programmes to discuss AI’s impact on creative industries. Known for her engaging and accessible training style, she hopes to empower creatives in the industry, so they can make informed choices about AI that align with their values and goals.

The majority of the USF online short course offering is for those at early career stage and above. As a result, we generally require applicants to have at least 3 credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com so we can assess if an exception should be made.

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible. Please email the above address if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

What it covers

• Benefits and applications in unscripted TV, for example:

• Research and analysis
• Talent and casting
• Production workflows
• Post-production tools
• Audience engagement strategies
• Rights and compliance

• Concerns and challenges, such as:

• Transparency in AI use
• Audience reception
• Ethical considerations and bias
• The role of human oversight
• Maintaining quality control
• Navigating intellectual property
• Other legal rights issues

• Practical tips

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘apply now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role.
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address. A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you.

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the “decline ticket” function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration. 

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.