Students prepare to write scripts with the help of artificial intelligence

San Juan – He Program for the Development of the Film Industry (PDIC) of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC)started a workshop program in June to train students in scriptwriting with artificial intelligenceat the Alternative Arts Media Studio (AAMS) facilities in San Lorenzo and the Dr. Juan José Ozuna Specialized Higher School of Radio and Television in Hato Rey.

“The purpose is to design and provide screenwriting workshops using artificial intelligence that empower local screenwriters to integrate advanced techniques into the creative process to generate impactful and commercially viable narratives,” explained Manuel Cidre, secretary of the DDEC in a written statement. The workshops will run until the end of July and, as the capacity is full, they will no longer accept more students.

The workshops that will be offered to about 45 students from the Dr. Juan José Ozuna Specialized Higher School of Radio and Television in Hato Rey, the Dr. Antonio Fernós Isern Professional Higher School in San Lorenzo and the Cacique Agüeybana Higher School in Bayamón, as well as staff from the Central Specialized School of Visual Arts in San Juan, will be offered by a group of professionals with specialized knowledge in artificial intelligence techniques as a tool.

The course will consist of a minimum of eight workshops over a four-week period, with a minimum of 40 contact hours.

The program will educate participants from Puerto Rico’s public schools on the power of AI to enhance creativity, optimize audience engagement, and boost the film industry as an economic engine for the island.

José Sánchez Acosta, director of the PDIC

The courses will be taught by Orlando Ramos, an experienced Puerto Rican filmmaker and professor at the Sacred Heart University and Nathaniel Arocho, writer and filmmaker with 20 years of experience. In addition to James Dodson, American producer, director and writer with more than 40 years of experience, who, together with David Freeman, professor and screenwriter of Hollywooddevelops the first Artificial Intelligence platform that will serve as a tool for the development of film scripts.

The brief stated that the workshops will focus on empowering participants to leverage AI as a collaborative tool for story development. In addition, they will be able to conduct an in-depth analysis of audience preferences and industry trends to create eye-catching and successful scripts.

As this is a pilot project, the agency does not rule out reopening the call for applications in the future.

Increased use of artificial intelligence in the workplace

Last May, the Workplace Trends Index report, published by Microsoft and LinkedInrevealed that a large number of workers around the world want generative AI in their workplaces and its use has almost doubled in the last six months.

The report, titled “AI at work is already here. Now comes the hard part,” is based, according to EFE, in an online survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries conducted between February and March 2024, coupled with hiring and employment trends on LinkedIn, productivity data from Microsoft 365, and research with Fortune 500 clients.

The giant Microsoft, which bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26 billion, has positioned itself as a leader in the field of AI thanks to its multi-billion dollar partnership with OpenAIthe creator of the popular generative AI chatbot ChatGPT, which started the “boom” of this technology at the end of 2022.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said AI “democratises knowledge across the workforce” and said the report released Wednesday highlights the opportunity for businesses to apply the technology to make better decisions, collaborate and achieve results.