AI can now write, design, compose music, generate images, edit video and turn an idea into something tangible in seconds.
So what happens to human creativity?
Does AI give more people the freedom and tools to create, removing technical barriers between an idea and the finished result? Or are we beginning to hand over parts of the creative process that we might one day regret losing?
Digital Somerset returns this October with CTRL + CREATE, an evening exploring one of the biggest questions emerging from the collision between artificial intelligence, technology and the creative industries:
Is AI the end of human creativity?
We’ll explore what this means for music, design, writing, content and creative businesses, but also some of the much harder questions sitting underneath it.
If someone has the original idea but AI produces the finished work, who is the creator?
When does AI become a creative tool, and when does it start replacing the creative process?
What happens to copyright, intellectual property and ownership when AI systems learn from human-created work?
Should AI-generated creative work be labelled?
And, as the technology develops, what happens to the skills, careers and industries built around human creativity?
We’re delighted to be joined by Tom Bellamy from Sony Music Entertainment, bringing a perspective from an industry already confronting some of the biggest questions surrounding AI, creativity, copyright, ownership and the protection of artists’ work.
We’ll also be joined by Jono Buchanan, a composer, producer and music technology educator who teaches Electronic & Produced Music at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Jono has spent more than 25 years working across music education, composition and production, with experience spanning television and production music, songwriting and remix work for artists including Whitney Houston, Pet Shop Boys, Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes.
Much of his thinking today centres on a deceptively difficult question: what does it actually mean to be creative when technology can play an increasingly active role in the creative process?
Together, Tom and Jono bring two different perspectives from within the music world: the industry navigating AI, rights and ownership at scale, and the working creator and educator exploring how technology is changing the act of making music itself.
The evening will combine pizza, drinks, and short talks with a facilitated panel discussion bringing together perspectives from technology, creativity, music, business and the legal world. Rather than pretending anyone has all the answers, we want to create space for a proper conversation about where this is heading and what it means for the people creating the work.
And we want your view too.
Ahead of the event, Digital Somerset will be asking people across the region: Is AI the end of human creativity?
Share your thoughts and opinions with us here: Complete our short survey
We’ll share the results during the evening, put your questions to the panel and ask the audience again before they leave to see whether anything has changed.
Expect ideas, disagreement, audience participation, plenty of conversation and time to meet other curious people from across Somerset and beyond.
Whether you work in technology, music, design, the creative industries, business or education, whether you use AI every day or would rather it stayed well away from your creative work, you are very welcome.
Venue: Firepool Centre for Digital Innovation, Taunton
Date: Thursday 15 October 2026
Time: 5.30pm to 8pm
Please note: tickets are currently being processed through our partner Techosaurus while we resolve an issue with our usual Eventbrite booking system.
Come with an opinion. You might leave with a different one.