Two-day event explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping filmmaking, design, marketing and creative production Participants at Upscale Conf in Malaga, Spain, in 2025 (Magnific) Korea Herald correspondent Choi Jeong-yoonSAN FRANCISCO, US — Upscale Conf, a two-day event on artificial intelligence and creative production, opened Wednesday in San Francisco, bringing together creators, filmmakers, technologists and business leaders to discuss how generative AI is changing industries from design and advertising to filmmaking and marketing.Held at The Midway and organized by AI image upscaling company Magnific, the conference features speakers from technology companies, media organizations and creative studios, as interest grows in practical uses of generative AI beyond early experimentation.The opening sessions focused on how creators and companies are incorporating AI tools in production workflows, from visual development and marketing operations to filmmaking and storytelling.Featured speakers include Kevin Roose, technology columnist at The New York Times and co-host of the “Hard Fork” podcast; Casey Newton, founder of Platformer and co-host of “Hard Fork”; Henry Daubrez, resident filmmaker and creative director at Google Labs; Paul Trillo, director and co-founder of Asteria Film Co.; Christina Lee Storm, head of studio and narrative at Secret Level; and Xavier Lou, creative lead at Alibaba Cloud.Other participants include filmmaker Noah Wagner, artist Niceaunties, Suno creative adviser Curt Cameruci and executives, marketers and creative technologists from across the AI industry.One of the conference’s headline sessions, “Building in the Age of AI,” features Roose, Newton and Magnific CEO and co-founder Joaquin Cuenca in a discussion on how AI is reshaping the creative economy and the broader technology landscape.The conference also includes workshops on AI-powered production workflows and design and marketing operations, along with sessions on filmmaking and storytelling that examine how generative AI tools are changing content creation.A creator hackathon organized by Magnific in collaboration with Google Cloud, Replit and Alibaba Cloud is also scheduled as part of the event, alongside discussions on AI-related careers, emerging business models and the future of creative work.“The conversation is evolving,” Cuenca said in a statement ahead of the event. “The question is no longer whether AI can generate. The question is what creators can build with it.”Organizers said the conference aims to serve as a meeting point for a growing community of creators using AI, ranging from independent artists and filmmakers to enterprise marketing teams and global technology companies.Upscale Conf runs through Thursday and is being streamed live online.