FAIR expert Anna Kantosalo named co-chair of international AI conference — creative industries FAIR's largest client group
FAIR expert Anna Kantosalo has been named co-chair of the programme committee at a leading international conference on computational creativity. The international recognition highlights Finnish expertise in creative AI. Creative industries emerged as FAIR’s largest client group during its first operational period.
Text by Martti Asikainen, 1.9.2026 | Photo by Heikki Yli-Ketola
Architecture, culture and software companies made up more than 56% of Finnish AI Region’s (FAIR) client base during its first operational period, from 2022 to 2025. FAIR worked with a total of 187 creative-sector companies during that period.
This strong footprint in the sector has made FAIR a significant driver of AI development in Finland’s creative economy. It is little surprise, then, that FAIR expert Anna Kantosalo has risen to the leadership of one of the field’s top international conferences, recognition that can help to bring Finnish creative AI expertise into the international spotlight.
The development also reflects a broader international trend: creative industries such as architecture, culture and software development are among the largest employers in the international marketplace, according to a 2024 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Kantosalo named co-chair of international conference
FAIR’s standing in creative AI gained international recognition this summer, when Adjunct Professor Anna Kantosalo was named co-chair of the programme committee for the 17th International Conference on Computational Creativity (ICCC’26), held in Coimbra, Portugal.
Kantosalo’s research focuses on the design and evaluation of AI-based systems in creative contexts — precisely the expertise she also brings to FAIR’s client projects.
“Research on AI for creative industries has a long tradition in Europe, and it could serve as one of the flagship areas of European AI development,” Kantosalo says.
Her view positions FAIR’s work as part of a wider European research effort. Alongside Kantosalo, the conference was attended by other leading Finnish researchers, including Hannu Toivonen, professor at the University of Helsinki; Christian Guckelsberger, professor at Aalto University; and Severi Uusitalo, lecturer at Aalto University.
Supporting creativity requires careful design
The needs of creative-sector companies often go beyond the pursuit of ordinary operational efficiency. FAIR’s client projects have included, for example, the development of AI systems that generate creative content directly.
Success in this kind of work cannot be measured by efficiency alone — how well the technology supports genuine creative thinking must also be taken into account.
This is a subtle design challenge. Poorly built AI tools can constrain creative work rather than support it. For instance, by forcing the creator into a decision too early in the creative process. Research presented at ICCC’26 by Emil Polyak and Rghad Balkhyoor examined exactly this risk.
According to the researchers, expressing an idea as an AI prompt too early can limit a designer’s creative range. The finding reinforces why deliberate AI design — not just AI adoption — is central to FAIR’s approach as well.
“The key is choosing the right algorithmic approach and designing interfaces that support creative thinking and adapt to different stages of the creative process,” Kantosalo sums up.
Looking beyond the text prompt
The conference also presented approaches that go beyond conventional text-based interaction with AI. Keynote speaker Professor Jennifer Jacobs presented physical devices combining traditional ceramics techniques with 3D printing.
These solutions bring the expressive power of craftsmanship into industrial-scale production, expanding what designers are able to create. In another presentation, researchers Stephen Krol and Jon McCormack presented work training aesthetic AI models tailored to specific creative professionals, communities or industries.
Aalto University’s Severi Uusitalo, together with researcher Anna-Mari Leppisaari, presented a project using evolutionary algorithms to design prototypes for woven garments. The approach lets designers experiment with designs digitally before committing to physical materials.
“The participation of Finnish researchers in leading international conferences helps connect FAIR’s projects to the broader global research ecosystem for creative AI,” Kantosalo says.
She adds that participation also creates opportunities for FAIR companies to collaborate with leading researchers in the field, including those within FAIR’s own consortium.
How FAIR supports creative work
FAIR’s services fall into three areas. The first is initial assessments and needs analyses, through which FAIR helps SMEs evaluate their current state and identify their needs in digital transformation, AI adoption and high-performance computing.
The second is advisory services and strategic support, covering everything from solution design to data governance and regulation. For creative-sector clients, this has included, for example, developing tailored creative AI interfaces for architects, industrial designers and other creative professionals.
The third is development, testing and finance services: practical support for developing, testing and financing innovative solutions, ranging from hackathons to test environments and funding programmes. This also includes prototype development, allowing ideas to be tested in practice. You can explore FAIR’s services here.
