F(r)ictions 2026 - Lab for AI, Ethics, & Creative Labor at Parsons School of Design

F(r)ictions: Creative Work in an Age of AI

Friday, May 1, 2026
9:30 AM–3:30 PM

The New School
63 5th Ave
University Center
Hoerle Lecture Hall
Room L105
New York, NY

Sponsored by The New School's Office of University Initiatives

Creative industries are experiencing one of the most dramatic transitions in recent history. Generative AI systems are now able to produce advertising campaigns, fashion images, and written works at a fraction of the time, at the cost of human labor, and without the contributions of those most affected by the technology. Some of these transformations are being adjudicated in the courts; voices from these communities should be heard in these debates.

These shifts raise urgent questions: What does it mean to be a creative worker today? What is an author now that machines mimic writing style? When a fashion model’s likeness is used to train AI without consent, who owns that work? How can filmmakers prevent AI-generated content from mixing into archival materials without distinction? How can creative professionals sustain a livelihood as automation expands? How do we empower different creative communities to see parallels between how their disciplines are affected by AI, and contribute to shaping AI's development?

This day-long convening brings together practitioners, legal scholars, social scientists, and students to investigate the present and future of creative work in an age of AI. We aim to bring together disparate conversations from the domains of design and fashion, film and philosophy, creative writing and critical thought to create a platform from which to agitate for a future that creative workers want to see when it comes to emerging, powerful technologies. Our ambition is to build toward a regional, NYC-based network of creative workers and scholars who share a stake in governing the future of AI and creative labor.

Symposium Schedule

9:30 AM

Welcome
Zed Adams, Sareeta Amrute, and Andrew Shea

9:45–11:00 AM

Panel 1: Stories from the Front Lines
Focusing on stories from workers and representatives. Speakers include:

Stephanie Jenkins, Archival Producers Alliance
Aldo Juraidini, American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
Umair Kazi, Author’s Guild
Sara Ziff, Model Alliance
Rachel Robbins, Tangible Mind (Moderator)

11:00–11:30 AM

Bio break, with tea and coffee

11:30 AM–12:45 PM

Panel 2: Legal Rights and Collective Bargaining
Focusing on legal issues, including thinking beyond copyright, labor organizing, whistleblowing, and policy interventions to address building power for designers and creative workers. Speakers include:

Isaro Carter, The Carter Firm
Andrew Foglia, U.S. Copyright Office
Alexandra Mateescu, Data & Society
Linda Powell, SAG-AFTRA
David Carroll, The New School (Moderator)

12:45–1:45 PM

Lunch break (lunch not provided)

1:45–3:00 PM

Panel 3: Alternative Models: the Small, the Specific, and from the Majority
Focusing on small and specific language models and alternative approaches that ask, what does ethical AI look like in practice, and what are the limits to ethics-based frameworks? Speakers include:

Taeyoon Choi, Wayne State University
Sam Heckle, The New School
Ari Melenciano, Afrotectopia
Claudia Tomateo Chang, The New School (Moderator)

3:00–3:30 PM

Final Reflections

Video Reflections

Throughout the day, panelists distilled salient details from their conversations in short videos. They also picked up on themes from different panels and finished thoughts that they did not have time to discuss in their panels. Additional members of The New School also dropped in to record their reflections.