Carlos is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter with over 200 official selections at international film festivals. His first feature film, the 2D animated Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas, was nominated for a Goya Award. He was awarded at the San Sebastián International Film Festival with his 2D animated short film Cafunè, and his short It Dawns the Longest Night was pre-selected for the Oscars. He is also a director and writer of multiplatform video games (PlayStation 4, WiiU, Smartphones, etc.). His first console video game, “Fireplacing”, reached the Top Sales on Nintendo's WiiWare. Some of his other titles have been recognized internationally, including being a "Selected Project" at GameConnection San Francisco and 2nd Best Indie Game at the Unity China Awards.
His artistic journey is complemented by nearly 20 years of experience in computational engineering research, having worked with over twenty public and private laboratories. Carlos has designed and led projects in areas such as GPU rendering, advanced data transfer systems, and blockchain. Over the past 7 years, his research has focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to the audiovisual industry. His AI R&D projects include Emotional Films, a project designed to generate real-time films that adapt to the viewer’s emotions in each screening. Additionally, his work focuses on creating custom tools to maximize the time and artistic quality for creators, allowing artists to contribute the highest possible value to productions. Carlos is recognized for his creative, disruptive, and ethical approach to AI and its contribution to the industry.
Carlos’s innovative work in AI has been awarded at the Science Ekaitza scientific congress, where Nobel laureate George Smoot and Monty Python's John Cleese were part of the jury. He was also a finalist at the Startup Challenge at the San Sebastián Film Festival with the project Emotional Films.
In his AI projects, Carlos has led over 50 researchers from various fields, including engineers, sociologists, psychologists, screenwriters, artists, etc., through public-private partnerships, involving audiovisual clusters, supercomputing centers, and universities. Carlos has also taught at university-level computer engineering programs and served as an advisor to numerous public and private institutions in both the industrial and cultural sectors. He has been on the board of several associations in Spain in the fields of audiovisual production and video games. He is currently a promoter and vice president of AI Assemble, a newly formed association for the ethical management of AI in the audiovisual industry.
Carlos defines himself as a passionate storyteller, using art to make people feel and think. He embraces technological disruption to build new formats and opportunities, always guided by ethics, a commitment to social responsibility, and thinking outside the box in the imminent transformation of the workforce.
The current and future role of AI in animation has divided the industry over the past couple of years. This timely panel will take a look at the possible dangers of AI replacement of human labor force as well as the technical demands and impact of AI on the animation pipeline of both major studios and indie production houses. As the AI tools become more intuitive and intelligent, how will they help or hinder artists? How can we ensure that artists are protected and well-paid in future animation projects? What are some of the most recent innovations in the AI field that animation industry hopefuls need to be aware of?