NAVIGATE AI WITH PLAYFULNESS, CURIOSITY AND CONFIDENCE
WORKSHOPS • SPEAKING • CREATIVE SESSIONS
For the arts, culture and creative sectors - and those seeking playful ways into AI
Jocelyn Burnham jocelyn@aiforculture.com
About Jocelyn
Jocelyn Burnham (she/her) is a leading independent artificial intelligence communicator, workshop leader, and speaker, specialising in AI learning in the creative and cultural sectors through creativity and playfulness.
She has been commissioned by organisations including Arts Council England, Tate, The Church of England, Historic Royal Palaces, Art Fund, Shakespeare's Globe, RADA, Kew and Bloomberg Philanthropies to produce bespoke AI workshops and resources.
Jocelyn has given talks for The Open University, The British Library, The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, The London School of Economics, The Northern Ireland Science Festival, and others. Her writing on AI has been published with multiple sector partners, including Arts Professional, CultureHive, The Audience Agency and Clore Leadership.
Jocelyn was previously the Communications Manager of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, the Marketing Campaigns Manager of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, the Marketing and Communications Manager of Music Theatre Wales, the Publications Officer of Sadler's Wells, and the Marketing Manager of Sheringham Little Theatre, among multiple freelance marketing projects. She also worked as a freelance journalist, publishing with Time Out (London) and USA Today.
In December 2024, it was announced that Goose, a collaborative AI-driven project between Jocelyn and the Arts Marketing Association, had been awarded £250,000 in development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Innovation Fund.
In January 2025, it was announced that Jocelyn had partnered with The Audience Agency for their 2025 Let's Get Real: AI learning programme.
For print media, she is represented by The Rights Factory.
Publications
Featured in Your go-to guides to AI | Arts Professional (March 2025)
Expert Spotlight: Jocelyn Burnham | Lumos Communications (Feb 2025)
CultureTalk: Playful Innovation and AI’s Role in Culture with Jocelyn Burnham (Feb 2025)
Q&A with Jocelyn Burnham on AI in Arts and Culture | Chaptr (Nov 2024)
Featured in Cultural work, wellbeing, and AI | Sophie Frost and Lauren Vargas | Eur. J. Cult. Manag. Polic. (Nov 2024)
The AI Revolution in Arts and Heritage | Careers Unwrapped (Sept 2024)
Human leadership in an AI world | Clore Leadership (Jul 2024)
Heritage Innovation Diary: Winging it with purpose – co-creation | CultureHive (Jul 2024)
AI: Why the arts should choose playfulness over fear | Arts Professional (Nov 2023)
Neural Networks Will Change Television Forever | The Startup, Medium (Jun 2020)
Services
I am always neutral about whether AI is a positive or negative development for society or for your particular sector.
Instead, I champion the value of AI-literacy so your team can better develop their own perspectives and practices towards its applications and your continued self-learning.
Within this context, I believe that playfulness, fun and hands-on experimentation are powerful techniques for exploring AI, discovering new concepts, becoming confidently critical, and encouraging innovation.
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Interactive, high-energy sessions covering emerging AI concepts, developments and critical perspectives with playful, hands-on activities. These are customised for each organisation based on their existing technical confidence and areas of interest.
Sessions can be delivered across a single day, or along multiple weeks, either in-person or online.
Get in touch (jocelyn@aiforculture.com) to learn more.
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Based on the work I do, I’m happy to share emerging strategies around using, exploring and innovating with AI throughout the culture and heritage sector. Talks are typically 30 - 120min in duration. Learn more.
(I have also run public shows for festivals - get in touch if you’d like to learn more!)
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These are special workshop sessions where I work with your team to get everyone building with AI - right away!
Depending on the group, we might all learn how to make arcade games with AI, a custom Broadway musical, a short AI film or something completely different.
These are some of my favourite sessions to run, and can work as a standalone workshop or as part of a wider event.
Get in touch (jocelyn@aiforculture.com) to learn more.
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I frequently run bespoke sessions with small groups or individuals who wish to better understand AI and potentially innovate with it for specific purposes.
Get in touch (jocelyn@aiforculture.com) if you’d like to discuss more.
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If you’re part of a team which has built an AI product which could benefit from some playful experimentation, get in touch! I’m happy to help coordinate making/innovation sessions between yourselves and creative people from across the culture sector.
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I am sometimes asked to advise or help put together larger projects involving AI and culture. If you are working on a project which could potentially benefit from my involvement, let’s have a conversation.
Contact me on jocelyn@aiforculture.com
“Absolutely fascinating... a great introduction to AI.”
Terry Shay, Kew
“Jo was a fantastic facilitator who made me feel really empowered about how I might approach AI.”
Participant, Art Fund
FAQs
Q: Do you also offer sessions for individuals or businesses outside the culture sector?
A: Absolutely. Although much of my work has explored how the culture and heritage sector might approach AI, the same principles are just as valid for any organisation or individual looking to develop AI innovation within their work.
Q: What are your fees?
A: As an independent freelancer without significant overhead, I’m able to offer workshop sessions at rates generally much lower than those offered by larger providers, and I offer significant discounts for registered charities or organisations receiving Arts Council funding. It’s best to reach out directly on email for a tailored quote.
Q: Are you open to partnerships with universities that are exploring new projects or funding applications?
A: Yes! I enjoy working with universities and I have several ongoing projects in this capacity.
Q: Are you available for public/ticketed events?
A: Yes! I’ve done public events before and I’m always happy to put together something unique and fun for a particular audience.
Q: Do you work internationally?
Yes! I offer both virtual and in-person sessions, depending on your location and needs. Feel free to reach out, and we can discuss what works best.
Q: Do you consult more widely on machine learning systems?
A: While I am very happy to refer you towards others in my professional network, I specifically do not position myself as a technical machine learning practitioner or consultant. I take domains of expertise seriously and I am also aware that ‘AI literacy’ as a term can mean different things in different contexts. For absolute clarity on my approach and what I offer, it’s always best for us to discuss this first - and I will always endeavour to point you towards the best practitioner for your particular need.
Q: We want to develop an AI policy for our organisation. Can you support this?
A: Let’s chat! If you work in the UK culture or heritage sector, you might find it productive to first explore this template AI policy produced by the Arts Marketing Association (in collaboration with multiple sector partners, including myself).
Q: Are you available to support artist residencies, for creatives looking to explore AI in their work?
A: Yes, I enjoy this! This type of support can be offered in lots of different ways, so it’s best to reach out so we can discuss a shape which could best fit your needs.
Q: Are you available for podcasts/editorials?
A: I love being on podcasts and I don’t charge for this! I’m also happy to discuss writing editorials but this will be on a fee basis.