Upskilling Creatives: Meeting the New Challenges of Bringing AI to Non-IT Sectors
Upskilling Creatives: Meeting the New Challenges of Bringing AI to Non-IT sectors (2024-2025)
The Upskilling Creatives project is co-funded by the Cyprus University of Technology (Internal Interdisciplinary Research Programme) and CYENS (EdMedia research group, extension of the Cyprus Interaction Lab). It brings together multi-disciplinary expertise from the fields of Generative AI, the Applied Arts, and Instructional Design. The project is targeting students and recent graduates in the areas of Design and Applied Arts who wish to incorporate aspects of Generative AI in their practice. We aim to generate knowledge on upskilling and meeting the new challenges of bringing Generative AI to non-IT sectors. The project revolves around key concerns, which require a multi-disciplinary approach by nature: What are the needs of learners coming from Creative backgrounds in terms of gaining knowledge and competencies related to the ever-evolving field of Generative AI? What is the most suitable pedagogical model and tools for successfully achieving this goal?
Funded by: Internal Interdisciplinary Research Programme (IRP), Cyprus University of Technology, co-funded by CYENS
Duration: 12 months (2024 – 2025)
Budget: 20000 euros
Academic Team:
Andri Ioannou, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts
Sotirios Chatzis, Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics
Omiros Panayides, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts
Eva Korae, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts
Researchers:
Sonia Andreou, Postdoc researcher, CYENS & Cyprus Interaction Lab
Giorgos Nikolaou, PhD candidate, Cyprus University of Technology
📅 Schedule & Key Activities
Here is the timeline of activities that will take place during March and April 2025.
Upskilling Creatives Session 1:
Wednesday, March 19th, 15:30pm-18:30pm (local time), F2F, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts (MGA), Pavlou Mela, Limassol (room: Interaction and Technology Teaching Lab – EAT). Introduction to Diffusion-Based Generative Models (Giorgos Nikolaou) & Generative AI as applied in the field of Design and Applied Arts: The Legal Perspective (Ioanna Kyriakidou and Christos Chiotis).
Upskilling Creatives Session 2:
Wednesday, March 26th 15:30pm-18:30pm (local time), F2F, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts (MGA), Pavlou Mela, Limassol (room: Interaction and Technology Teaching Lab – EAT). Exploring Generative AI in the Context of Design and Creativity (Yana Klimava).
Upskilling Creatives Session 3:
Wednesday, April 2nd 15:30pm-18:30pm (local time), online. AI-Powered UI Design: From Sketch to Interface with Advanced Tools (Tim Neumann).
Upskilling Creatives Session 4:
Thursday, April 3rd 15:30pm-18:30pm (local time), F2F, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts (MGA), Pavlou Mela, Limassol (room: Art and Design Lab). Critical Perspectives on Generative AI for Creatives Power, Culture, and Local Context (Alexia Achilleos) & Crafting Creativity: Mastering Prompt Writing with Gen-AI Tools (Simeon Retalis).
Presenters profiles:
Giorgos Nikolaou, holds a BA and an MA from the Department of Visual and Applied Arts, School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. There, he explored a wide range of artistic mediums and theories, specialising in painting and graduating with honours. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cyprus University of Technology, where he combines his expertise in art with a strong interest in technological advancements, particularly Artificial Intelligence. Alongside his academic endeavours, he continues to actively engage in artistic practice, refining his techniques and creating works that merge traditional and digital approaches, redefining contemporary art.
Ioanna Kyriakidou and Christos Chiotis are lawyers at Chrysses Demetriades & Co LLC in Limassol, Cyprus. They have extensive experience in managing a wide range of cases and providing legal advice on compliance with European Union legal instruments, including the EU AI Act that entered into force in August last year. Ioanna and Christos specialise in providing legal advice and dispute resolution services in areas of law that are in close interaction with technological developments such as E-Commerce, Intellectual Property and Data Protection.
Yana Klimava is a seasoned design professional from Ottawa, Canada. She specializes in the intersection of creativity, technology, and human-centered design. With expertise spanning industrial design, UI/UX, exhibition design and graphic design, Yana has worked across industries like consumer and commercial products, medical devices, embedded software and IoT, integrating innovative tools and approaches to solve complex design challenges. Her passion lies in leveraging the power of combining emerging technologies, such as generative AI, with innovative thinking to enhance creative processes and deliver impactful, empathetic, user-focused solutions.
Tim Neumann is a UX professional with over two decades of experience designing impactful digital solutions across web, mobile apps, e-commerce, and enterprise software. He has founded and led agencies, bringing an entrepreneurial vision and extensive real world expertise from high-level projects for diverse business clients. Eager to explore emerging technologies—particularly AI-human co-design, AI-driven interfaces, and personalized experiences—Tim is also an NNg–certified UX Master. His academic journey spans an Art Direction Diploma, studies in Business Administration, and a return to Interaction Design, reflecting his dedication to continuous learning and innovation.
Alexia Achilleos is an artist and researcher, whose work explores the power dynamics shaping AI technology, with reference to history, culture and geopolitics. Her work has been presented at institutions such as Ars Electronica festival, Civic Creative Base Tokyo, NeMe and NeurIPS. She is a PhD Fellow at CYENS – Centre of Excellence, and a Research Associate at MADLab at Cyprus University of Technology.
Dr. Symeon Retalis is Professor of Learning Design Models for Technology-Enhanced Lifelong Learning Environments at the University of Piraeus, Greece. Also, Symeon is co-founder and chief scientific officer at Kinems Inc., a NY-based start-up company that develops a Kinect movement-based educational gaming platform for children with learning disabilities. Symeon has been actively engaged in research, development and innovation in the field of interaction design and development of technology-enhanced learning environments for the past 15 years. He has been a mentor and member of R&D teams that received 6 honors and awards at international competitions for innovative software (e.g. Microsoft Imagine Cup, Intel Business Challenge). He has been involved as a principal investigator (PI) and co-ordinator in more than 30 R&D projects funded by the European Union, national grants and software companies such as Smart Education and Google.