Curiosity First, AI Second: A Tool for Young Storytellers

March has brought with it a topic that seems impossible to ignore across the creative world: Artificial Intelligence, AI.

Everywhere you look there are conversations about what AI might mean for film, television, art and storytelling. Some voices celebrate it as the future, while others express concern about what it could replace. Like many organisations working in creative education, we found ourselves asking an important question: Should we use it at all? Especially as kids are told not to use it in their learning usually.

For a while, it was tempting to simply avoid the conversation. Questions around originality, authorship and the role of technology in creative work are not simple ones. But the reality is that AI is already part of the world young people are growing up in. So rather than shying away from it, we decided the better approach was to look at it honestly — to see it clearly for what it is, and what it isn’t.

For us, AI is best understood as a tool. Not a replacement for creativity, or instead of traditional learning, but something that can support the early stages of the creative process.

A Place to Explore Ideas

One of the most useful ways to think about AI is as a starting point.

It can help with drafting ideas, exploring possibilities or bouncing concepts around when a blank page might feel intimidating. It can help structure a thought, suggest an angle, or simply act as a sounding board during the early stages of a project. But that is exactly what it is — a space to draft.

AI can produce confident-sounding responses, yet it is important to remember that it is not thinking or reasoning in the way people do. It works by analysing patterns in the vast amounts of data it has been trained on, predicting what might come next based on that information alone, not from human experience.

In many ways it behaves a little like an enthusiastic assistant — one that often leans towards the positive because it is designed to be helpful.

That means the responsibility must still rest with the creator.

Ideas need to be questioned, refined and shaped by human judgement. Stories still require imagination, context and emotional understanding — things that come from lived experience rather than algorithms.

AI might help start a conversation with an idea, but people are still the ones who decide where that idea goes.

Tools Don’t Define Creativity

In many ways, AI is not so different from the equipment used in filmmaking.

A high-end camera, a powerful editing suite or a studio full of professional lighting does not automatically create a great film. The quality of the equipment may make certain things easier or more straightforward, but it does not determine the strength of the story being told.

Some of the most imaginative projects begin with simple tools, strong ideas and people willing to experiment.

AI works in a similar way. It can support the process, offer suggestions and help shape early drafts, but it does not replace the creativity behind the work. The real value always comes from the person using the tool — their judgement, their imagination and the choices they make along the way. In other words, the tool may help open the door, but the creator is still the one who decides what happens next.

The Human Side of Storytelling

Film and television have always been collaborative art forms. Behind every production is a team of people working together — presenters, camera operators, editors, producers, sound engineers and writers — all contributing their ideas and skills to bring a story to life. No technology can replace the experience of people solving creative challenges together. The unexpected moments during filming. The laughter when something goes wrong on a green screen or on a set. The shared excitement when a project finally comes together in the edit. Those moments of collaboration are often where the most memorable creative breakthroughs happen. Technology may support the process, but storytelling remains deeply human and fuels connection.

Preparing Young Creators for the Future

At end2end TV CIC, one of our goals is to help young people explore creative technology with confidence rather than uncertainty. New tools will continue to appear. Production techniques will evolve. The media landscape will keep changing, just as it always has. But the qualities that make great creators will remain the same:

• curiosity

• imagination

• communication

• teamwork

• resilience when things don’t go to plan

When young people develop these skills, they gain something far more valuable than technical knowledge — they gain the confidence to adapt and explore whatever tools the future may bring. They become Digital Leaders.

Looking Ahead

As we continue re-imagining the future of end2end TV CIC, we are excited to expand the creative opportunities available to young storytellers. This summer will see the launch of our new animation and editing suite, opening the Blue Door to even more experimentation with storytelling, post-production and visual media. Just like the library workshops last month, the spaces we design are places where ideas can grow, skills can develop and creativity can flourish.

Because in the end, creativity does not begin with technology. It begins with curiosity. A question. A concept. A creation. A group of people willing to explore where an idea might lead. Maybe it's time for us to consider AI as a tool to support and assist us, so we can focus on different areas of expertise, creative choices, human interaction, teamwork and the outcome we are trying to produce.

This discussion is clearly important and ongoing, but if used with curiosity, appropriate caution, understanding and insight, AI is an effective tool for our tool box. We just need to remember our thinking and reasoning skills remain ours!