Foresight Lab
The Foresight Lab is researching the adoption, use and impact of new technologies in Games, Film, TV, Performance and Digital Entertainment.
The Foresight Lab’s mission is to be the go-to destination for industry, research and policy makers to shape and inform future technology-driven creative RD&I in screen, games, performance and digital entertainment.
We will map the future landscape, showcase a robust and compelling evidence base for what works and aggregate, analyse and share rich and diverse data comprising the evidence-base.
The Foresight Lab’s role in the CoSTAR network is to capture and disseminate a body of industry knowledge, trends and needs – present and future. We’ll do this by collecting, synthesising and analysing data to provide intelligence, insight and foresight, informing research, innovation and investment.
Our work will assist in understanding the opportunities and impacts of emerging technologies, and in planning and investing on the basis of a robust evidence base.
- Where
- Nationwide
- Led by
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- Partners
- BFI Loughborough University University of Edinburgh Arup Data Thistle i2 Media Research Julie’s Bicycle Olsberg•SPI Station 12
Our work
Foresight
Predicting possible futures by analysing trends in technology, industry and audiences.
Foresight is a term used to describe an amorphous collection of fields and methods that enhance understanding of plausible and preferred futures. Our approach is rooted in the strategic context of the CoSTAR programme, embedded in industry and the interests of the public.
Our work will help to inform financial decision-making for investors and those seeking investment, work with CTOs to shape their R&D priorities, and help creatives understand the technology of tomorrow. Led by Goldsmiths, University of London with partners i2 Media Research and Station 12, we are providing foresight into how the Creative Industries will evolve in the years and decades to come, integrating multiple perspectives to make sense of change.
Our approach to foresight involves two complementary workstreams, Moments and Humans. Moments is where strategic foresight, investment awareness, technical expertise, and speculative design meet. Humans brings these inquiries into an experiential investigation, for workers and audiences, using foresight, UX research, psychology, and design.
Both workstreams are supported by the Foresight Board, a diverse group of industry leaders reflecting creative convergence.
Outputs:
Insight
Comprehensive sector research to understand the adoption, use and impact of new technology.
Led by the BFI with partners Arup and Julie's Bicycle, the Foresight Lab's Insight work provides insights relating to technology and sector, helping to understand recent and upcoming developments across a number of thematic areas.
We will work to understand developments in decarbonisation and equality, diversity & inclusion, across the Creative Industries including within the CoSTAR Network.
In collaboration with the Creative Policy & Evidence Centre and Verian, we are commissioning the Creative Business Panel. Conducted in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, it will create a groundbreaking new evidence base over five waves, examining the use of emerging technologies and supporting businesses to adopt digital innovations that enhance their competitiveness, foster diverse and inclusive workforces, and drive profitability and sustainability.
Publications:
Policy
Examining the impact of global policy interventions and working with policymakers to explore potential future developments.
The Foresight Lab’s policy function delivers robust, relevant and valuable policy evidence, insights and recommendations to drive innovation and growth in advanced creative technologies in the UK and internationally. The team is based out of Loughborough University London, working closely with Olsberg•SPI and partners across the CoSTAR Network.
Our work
We deliver a range of research, reports and responses relating to creative technology policy. We do this through:
Convening and engaging with key stakeholders across the creative technology ecosystem, including via our Creative Technology Policy Forum.
Hosting policy events including showcases, roundtables and online fora
Developing briefings, submissions and recommendations directly to government
Producing new research and reports
Developing and curating international trends and insights
Mapping policy trends and signals.
How we work
Our work is shaped by our principles:
We are agile, responding to our stakeholders and priority areas as they emerge, keeping pace with an emerging and uncertain landscape.
We are collaborative, working in an open and accessible manner, connecting with networks across the creative and technology ecosystem.
Our work is future-focussed, embedding long-term, foresight-led thinking into policy development and delivery.
We are creative-led convenors, creating new spaces to bring together complementary stakeholders from across government, industry and academia with a focus on creative technology.
We embrace radical ideas, encouraging novel and future-facing thinking to consider how it can be realistically implemented in the short and long term.
Publications:
Data
Synthesising data from across the CoSTAR Network and the wider sector.
Underpinning our foresight, insight and policy work are various forms of data. Led by the University of Edinburgh with partner Data Thistle and in collaboration with the Foresight Lab team, the New Forms of Data workstream will capture, analyse and display data and metadata from across the CoSTAR Network and the Creative Industries.
We will be using multiple methods to locate relevant data from multiple sources to synthesise and analyse it in innovative ways. This will include working with other labs across the UK, including those in the CoSTAR Network to capture data that is of interest to those inside and outside of the network, identifying other relevant sources of data and creating bespoke datasets.
This work will provide insights about the CoSTAR Network and wider sector activities by identifying industry and sector priorities, and predicting possible futures by analysing trends across technology, industry and audiences.
Our analysis and findings will be shared in a variety of outputs across the lifetime of the Lab. These will include:
The Foresight Lab's Data Dashboard, a regularly-updated resource combining all of our data sources and designed to provide a portal into the adoption, use and impact of new and convergent technologies across film, television, games, live performance and digital entertainment. The dashboard will enable our stakeholders to engage with data in a visual, accessible and impactful way.
Regular reports about the adoption, use and impact of new and convergent technologies in the Creative Industries.
One-off reports offering in-depth examinations of trends around convergent technologies and their impacts on the Creative Industries.
our research
Creative complexity triptych – Jiarong Yu
The Foresight Lab's research is framed through two primary lenses:
Foresight – looking ahead to advances in converged media production technologies and practice, their potential impacts on screen, games, performance and digital entertainment, and policy interventions to support a thriving ecosystem. Tracking and anticipating developments in technologies, markets, and behaviours in the global societal, political and economic context.
Insight – tracking the adoption and use of new technologies and the implementation of relevant policies. Measuring and tracking the impacts of these technologies and policies, including environmental, social and economic impacts.
Our methods include:
Large-scale primary, secondary and commissioned research tracking adoption, use and impacts
Two-way engagement with industry and policy stakeholders
Two-way engagement with the four other CoSTAR Labs, including analysis of datasets.
Through these lenses and methods, a range of cross-cutting research areas permeate the Foresight Lab's work:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Foresight Lab is foregrounding an approach to AI that is creative-led, centred around creative innovation in AI, underpinned by ethics, safety, accessibility and responsibility to audiences. Across the Lab's activity is an array of work exploring the innovations, tensions and future possibilities at the intersection of AI, convergent technology and the Creative Industries. Read more in our blog post.
Policy
The Foresight Lab’s policy team are coordinating with policy and industry stakeholders to develop proposals, responses and engagement to put the creative industries at the forefront of the Government’s AI ambitions. We regularly engage with teams across the UK Government Departments for Business and Trade, Science, Innovation and Technology and Culture, Media & Sport.
With the Foresight Lab's support, the CoSTAR Network has come together to respond to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, the AI & Copyright consultation, and the House of Lords AI and creative tech committee inquiry. Our response has been cited extensively across the consultation report.
Machine Learning Futures
Our Introduction to Moments report reflects significant research and engagement with experts on our Foresight Board, establishing areas of complexity in the sector, one of which centres around AI and its new potentials and conflicts.
The report establishes future scenarios around machine learning, exploring possibilities in application and ownership . Underlying developments include openness of the developer ecosystem, culture and ethics, entrepreneurship, regulation and changing audience attitudes. These scenarios were shaped by industry insights from our Foresight Board.
International comparator report
International governments and the private sector are simultaneously embracing and investing in the commercial and creative opportunities AI and convergent technologies provide, while also developing legislation to protect and safeguard against current and potential harmful effects AI may cause.
The first international thematic report, delivered by Olsberg·SPI with the CoSTAR Foresight Lab, focuses on this convergence and tension, in terms of policy, funding and legislation. The report will provide examples of international AI policy and regulation in selected jurisdictions and discusses what the UK can learn from overseas to inform its own approaches. The report will be published in May 2025.
AI in the screen sector
While much attention has been given to AI’s broader societal and industrial implications, its application in film production, a sector that supports more than 195,000 jobs in the UK and generates more than £1.36 billion in revenue (DCMS 2024), has surprisingly received limited focus.
Through research, surveys and interviews with executives, creatives and technologists, we explore current engagements with AI, areas of growth and development, and barriers and concerns – including those around skills, transparency, intellectual property, trust and public perception. Building on an in-depth mapping of the present, the report then focuses attention on the AI futures that the screen sector is preparing for, signposting the steps companies and individuals are taking to build positive and productive partnerships between human creatives and machine intelligence. This report will be published in March 2025.
The Foresight Lab has developed a publicly accessible, live framework which captures the key stages of film production, from script to screen, to understand the contexts in which AI tools are applied. It has been developed for knowledge sharing and understanding judicious use of technologies in production, given the ethical and legal challenges circulating advanced machine learning applications. It identifies the diverse range of AI tools currently available in the market, analysing their core functions and capabilities. It then explores the input-output modalities and underlying technologies that power these tools. Finally, the framework will investigate how these tools are adopted and applied in real-world scenarios. By systematically addressing these aspects, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how AI is reshaping the film industry.
Note: When following the framework link above, the research description may be hidden. To access it place your mouse on the title 'Advanced Machine Learning in Film Production,' and click 'show description'.
Creative Business Panel
Developed by the CoSTAR Foresight Lab and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, the Creative Business Panel (CBP) is a landmark survey, supported by the UK government, which will collect comprehensive data from creative businesses over five waves between 2025 and 2028.
Amongst the topics covered by the survey, respondents will be asked to discuss their company’s approach to technology and innovation. This will involve respondents reporting on their usage (or planned usage) of digital media production technologies, including generative tools and deep learning applications, along with what barriers they face when it comes to adopting new technologies.
We will also explore the characteristics of those businesses who are (or are not) utilising generative tools by using context derived from the rest of the survey (e.g., their company’s size, region, level of investment in R&D, sustainability practices, etc.). Through this, the CBP will enable us to provide detailed insight into the UK creative sector’s behaviours around technology adoption, helping to inform decision makers who are seeking to support digital innovation in UK companies.
Production Technologies
The adoption, use and impact of emergent and convergent technology is key to research across the Foresight Lab. By developing our understanding of how creative businesses are capitalising on new technologies, we will help to inform the R&D taking place across the CoSTAR network, help policymakers to develop approaches to regulation, and help the sector make the best use of innovations in hardware and software.
The technologies we are exploring span:
Established technologies
Assistive design, moving image, and media software
Fixed asset, environmental and movement capture
Real-time rendering
In-camera VFX
LED screens
Immersive formats
High-res digital and video cameras
Audio software
3D printing
Lighting
Nascent technologies
Generative tools
Deep learning applications with transformative potential
Immersive distribution formats
Cloud-based and virtual workflows
Hardware enabling on-device and edge computing
Open standard formats for interoperability and collaboration
Volumetric 3D cameras
Advanced LEDs and screen technology
Relevant work across the Lab includes:
Working with the Foresight Board to predict technological developments in the decades to come
Tracking the use, impact and barriers of technologies and media distribution channels for hundreds of businesses via the Creative Business Panel
Mapping relevant technological facilities across the UK
Mapping international developments relating to R&D, technology adoption and legislation
Decarbonisation
One of the most pertinent questions for the Foresight Lab relates to Creative Industries’ understanding of the sustainability and carbon implications of new technologies and workflows.
There is optimism that new technologies such as virtual production will reduce the carbon footprint of the Creative Industries, such as through reduced dependence on location filming which generates substantial fuel consumption and use of materials. However, more work is needed to understand the sustainability implications of increasingly cloud-based workflows which depend on energy-hungry and water-intensive data centres.
Our work in this area will help to increase understanding and leadership in relation to sustainability. We have explored environmental concerns as part of our foresight work, as detailed in the report Certain Uncertainties. We will be analysing the environmental efforts of the CoSTAR Network and businesses engaged in the Creative Business Panel, as well as tracking relevant policy developments on a national and international scale.
Foresight Lab team
Dr Suzanne R. Black is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Foresight Lab working on the New Forms of Data workstream. She received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh for doctoral work examining the interconnections of a range of literatures in the twenty-first century digital literary sphere. She has held several postdoctoral positions, mainly in Creative Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, and has worked across a range of projects involving data and the creative industries combining humanities approaches with digital methods. Suzanne can be contacted at suzanne.black@ed.ac.uk.
Rishi Coupland is a strategist and leader with over twenty years’ experience in delivering research, innovation and strategic programmes. At the BFI, Rishi leads the Research and Statistics Unit and is responsible for the National Lottery Research Fund and National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund. Prior to this, he held the roles of Head of Data Intelligence at the National Theatre, where he launched and led the sector flagship Data Studio, Head of Audience Strategy (National Theatre), Marketing Services Manager (Southbank Centre), and Senior Producer (Buzz-erk Productions). Rishi began his career as a technologist and engineer with multinational companies in locations across the UK and Europe. In 2017 Rishi was awarded a Clore Fellowship, and he is a board member of London Arts and Health.
Jonathan Freeman is a specialist in creative arts and media research, combining academic and commercial expertise in media psychology. With over 25 years of externally funded research, he applies an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of the Creative Industries, Psychology, Design, Education, and Computing. His work spans cultural and commercial sectors, including immersive media, games, live performance, social media, and smart environments. Focused on user experience, he explores impact and opportunities across the creative value chain to enhance service delivery and sustainability.
Graham Hitchen is Director of the Loughborough University Policy Unit and a Professor at the Institute for Creative Futures. He leads policy engagement across the university and co-directs the Creative Research and Innovation Centre (CRAIC). With a background in cultural policy, he has led research on creative technologies, data, and the Creative Industries in India. Formerly Corporate Policy Director at Arts Council England, he has advised DCMS, London government, and various agencies. He also chairs Loughborough’s Strategic Advisory Group and was recently involved in UKRI’s Industrial Strategy for the Creative Industries.
Gavin is the Foresight Lab’s software engineer, responsible for developing its data dashboard. Based at the University of Edinburgh, he previously worked in technical infrastructure at the EDINA National Data Centre. Gavin also works in digital and interactive storytelling, with narrative credits on various tabletop and online games.
Petra provides project management support for the Foresight Lab and coordinates CoSTAR activities within the BFI, where she is also a part of the Research and Statistics team. She previously worked at ScreenSkills helping deliver a funding programme for behind-the-camera professionals. She has worked on a range of writing and research projects. Her background is in literature and critical theory.
Daniel is a Research Administrator with the CoSTAR Foresight Lab, based at Loughborough University London. Daniel has experience working as a Research and Project Assistant supporting various projects across the University of the Arts London. Alongside work at the Foresight Lab, Daniel is pursuing a master's in architecture, specialising in critical spatial practice. Daniel's research focuses on using critical spatial practice as a design medium, exploring narrative environments and the interplay between cultural and political narratives surrounding ICT infrastructure in Ireland.
With over 20 years working in data and technology businesses, Brendan heads Data Thistle, the UK's leading live events data business. In constant contact with industry, he has project managed partnerships with startups, universities, international technology businesses, and both the UK and Scottish governments. Brendan's wider background encompasses the arts, music, publishing and creative sectors with a current specialisation around the commercial application of cultural data.
Noemi Ponzoni is a research and cultural insights professional with 8+ years of experience in helping the creative sector build audience-minded, culturally intelligent strategies. Noemi worked both at Reddit and Penguin Random House, where she established herself as mixed-methods research lead interested in decoding shifts in media, technology, and culture – and how they interact with current and future audience mindsets.
John has worked within the BFI's Research and Statistics Unit since 2019, where he co-authored the annual Statistical Yearbooks, which aim to be "the comprehensive resource for statistics and commentary on the UK screen industries", alongside quarterly Official Statistics releases covering film and TV production, and box office performance. For the CoSTAR Foresight Lab, John will be supporting the lab's Insight work as Data Manager, including reporting on the findings derived from the Creative Business Panel, a novel longitudinal survey looking at, amongst other things, the attitudes and behaviours of UK creative businesses around innovation and sustainability.
Jac is a research fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London, with futures experience in media design and arts ecosystems. Her focus is composing conversation areas and future images that enhance the creative sector’s resilience, opening new potentials for workers, independents, funders, and government.
Tom is the Foresight Lab’s Programme Manager, providing administrative and operational support across the Lab. Previously Tom was Knowledge Exchange Manager at Goldsmiths, leading external-facing projects and supporting the development of Goldsmiths’ Knowledge Exchange strategy and processes. Alongside work Tom is studying for an MBA in Strategic Leadership and is a member and co-manager of Fulham Brass Band.
Katya is a Research Associate with the Foresight Lab, based at Loughborough University London. Katya takes a lead role in the development of policy research projects on creative technology, AI, skills, and foresight work. She provides research underpinning policy engagement and undertakes regular data- and literature-tracking. Katya previously worked in the non-profit research sector and academia, researching creative industries, social inequalities, inclusion, workforce, precarity, public health and climate change. Katya received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Essex (2021), exploring social class and gender inequalities in filmmaking production.
Brian is senior research and statistics editor within the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit. He is the former head of data science platform at the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), founding editor of Real World Data Science, and former editor of Significance Magazine, a joint publication of the RSS, the American Statistical Association and the Statistical Society of Australia. Prior to joining the RSS, he was editor of Research-Live.com and founding editor of Impact magazine, both published by the Market Research Society.
Melissa Terras MBE FREng is Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in the digitisation, mining, and analysis of cultural heritage, and using them to build award-winning digital products and services. A leader in the field of Digital Humanities, she has secured over £55m in research funding. Terras was Director of Creative Informatics, the Edinburgh based AHRC Creative Cluster supporting innovation in creative and cultural contexts, and is a founding Director of Transkribus, the AI-powered platform for text recognition of historical documents. Melissa can be contacted at m.terras@ed.ac.uk.
Dr Victoria (Vicki) Williams is Policy and Partnerships Manager with the CoSTAR Foresight Lab. Vicki leads on the delivery of policy engagement and outputs, working with lab researchers to transform robust data, evidence and trends into concrete policy recommendations. She previously worked at the Digital Catapult, leading policy and research initiatives across creative tech, AI, immersive and the metaverse. She also holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (2021) exploring embodiment and storytelling in immersive technologies and virtual environments.
Professor Frauke Zeller is Chair in Design Informatics at Edinburgh College of Art and co-director of the Institute for Design Informatics. Her expertise spans Human-Robot Interaction, AI, ethics, and digital methods. Previously an Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, she directed several research centres, including the Centre for Communicating Knowledge. Frauke has led multiple international research projects, securing major grants from SSHRC, NSERC, and the UK-Canada AI Research Programme. She co-created hitchBOT, Canada’s first hitchhiking robot, now part of a permanent museum exhibition. Frauke can be contacted at fzeller@ed.ac.uk.
FORESIGHT LAB PARTNERS
