AI: Routes to a Desirable Future

Moderator:

RISHI COUPLAND

Director of Research and Industry Innovation

BFI

Speakers:

DAVID DEFENDI | Founder of Genario and screenwriter

Genario

David Defendi, born in 1974 in Dijon, is a French writer, screenwriter and film director. The son of a former DST agent, he studied philosophy at the Sorbonne before becoming a journalist. He has lived in Marseille, San Francisco and New York, before settling in Paris. He is the author of several books exploring the worlds of intelligence and organised crime, including L'Arme à gauche (2008), Les Nettoyeurs (2013) and Têtes de dragon (2016). As a scriptwriter, he collaborated with Olivier Marchal on the Emmy Award-winning series Braquo, broadcast on Canal+ in 2012.

In 2019, he founded Genario, an artificial intelligence platform dedicated to screenwriting and literary writing, aiming to support authors in the development of their projects while respecting artistic intent. In April 2025, at the World AI Film Festival (WAiFF) in Nice, he launched Genario Studio, a company dedicated to AI-assisted video creation, designed to help film and audiovisual professionals design scenes, inserts and pitch visualisations. 

KATHARINA GELLEIN VIKEN | Filmmaker and Showrunner

Metrotone Media

Katharina Gellein Viken is an award-winning filmmaker, showrunner, and AI strategist with over 60 hours of broadcast television, feature films, and international documentaries to her name. Starting her directing career at age 14, she has led productions ranging from Dancing With The Stars to acclaimed political and celebrity documentaries. As a pioneer in AI-driven filmmaking since 2023, Katharina combines traditional storytelling expertise with cutting-edge AI workflows, reshaping how stories are told on screen. A sought-after speaker, she continues to push the boundaries of creativity and technology in the entertainment industry.

GRAHAM JACK | Chief Technology Officer

beloFX

As CTO of beloFX, Graham Jack is responsible for the company’s technology direction, building systems that prioritise agility through cloud infrastructure, interactive workflows, and early engagement with frontier technologies like generative AI.

Graham’s interest in intelligent systems began at Reading University, where he studied cybernetics and control engineering with a focus on neural networks and the philosophy of artificial intelligence. Before joining beloFX, Graham served as CTO at DNEG, where he created a global technology pipeline for the group across multiple divisions. 

RACHEL LYSKE | CEO of Generative

Daaci

Rachel Lyske has taken a professional journey that has diverged from the typical performing arts career. Guided by her passion for identifying and nurturing the creative abilities of others, she has forged a unique path that has led her to becoming CEO of DAACI.

Rachel’s strength as a leader in the field of AI-based music is rooted in her background in musical composition and vocal performance. She trained as a composer at the Royal Academy of Music, London, working alongside peers and mentors in the upper echelons of musical production on screen, stage, and studio.

Her ear for novel and innovative talent made Rachel an ally in the ascendency of more than a few rising stars, as a co-producer of the exclusive and widely acclaimed industry music festival, “In The Woods”. Her contribution to developing talent continued in her role as lead vocal consultant for the main music exam body, the ABRSM, where she designed the syllabus for the current “Singing for the musical theatre” exams. She’s put her own training and theories to the test as a vocal coach and supporting vocalist for Mercury and Brit Award winners, both live and in recording and is a vocal coach at The Brit School.

Rachel is known for her engaging presentation skills and passionate advocacy on panels as an invited expert at industry conferences in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the US. As lead on the talent workstream in her capacity as an advisor for Music Technology UK, Rachel focuses on increasing diversity and job opportunities, and nurturing new talent within the UK music technology ecosystem.

As CEO, her leadership ensures that the vision for DAACI puts composers and artists first as the worldwide music and AI landscape continues to evolve.