At KTH Royal Institute of Technology, discussions on artificial intelligence are moving beyond code and computation—into cinemas and collaborative spaces. Through The Material Cloud Film Festival and a parallel three-day workshop, researcher Francesca Larosa is bringing together audiences, experts and policymakers to explore the hidden social and environmental dimensions of AI.
This spring in Stockholm, The Material Cloud Film Festival has invited the public to reflect on what lies behind today’s AI systems. Far from being immaterial, AI depends on global supply chains, natural resources and human labour—realities that often remain invisible to users.
Across three screenings, the festival has addressed different facets of AI’s impact. From human data annotation and bias in Humans in the Loop, to environmental degradation linked to resource extraction in Donde los niños no sueñan, and finally to global power structures in In the Belly of AI, each evening has combined film with expert-led discussions. The events have drawn engaged audiences, sparking conversations that extend well beyond the screenings themselves.
Running alongside the festival, Larosa also hosted the workshop Systemic Enablers for Climate-Aligned Artificial Intelligence at KTH’s main campus. The three-day event brought together participants from academia, industry, civil society and policy to examine how AI development can better align with climate goals. Discussions focused on tensions between digital and green transitions, the actors shaping these dynamics, and the policy frameworks needed to steer AI towards sustainability.
The workshop aims to result in a joint white paper targeting European policymakers—marking a step from reflection to action. By linking public engagement through film with expert collaboration, the initiative creates a bridge between awareness and concrete change.
As a proud sponsor of the event, Digital Futures caught up with Francesca Larosa to discuss how it all started and what lies ahead.
What first sparked the idea to combine a film festival with an academic workshop on AI and sustainability?
– The impacts of a general-purpose technology as powerful as AI cannot be confined to academic fora and should not be manipulated without a rigorous analytical framework. More importantly, academic research must inform policy to stimulate an ecosystem of innovators and innovations that help – not hamper – people and the planet. That is why the interaction between science and open dialogue becomes so crucial. After all, I believe in a proactive academia: a place where science speaks to people and advises policy.
Was there a particular moment in your research that made you feel this format—films and public dialogue—was necessary?
– I remember winning the Marie Curie project which spurred this and thinking: “I cannot communicate results with papers only. I shall do something more engaging than this”. It became a moral imperative to me: a publicly funded project giving birth to a publicly accessible programme for all. I am not afraid to say I was very lucky: Stockholm is a city where innovation becomes tangible, where digitalisation enters the life of every citizen and where the future can be discussed in a fully democratic setting. The partners of the movie festival are living proof of this: academia, civil society and innovation leaders coming together. Where else if not here?
How do the films and the workshop complement each other in shaping a broader conversation about AI?
– They respond to two sides of the same equation: advancing a climate-proof ecosystem of innovation where digitalisation contributes to the well-being of our habitat. The workshop speaks to policymakers in Europe and addresses an urgent question: can we design, imagine and discuss a pan-European green digital transition? What are the barriers preventing us from getting there? What are the enablers we need to unlock? The film festival makes visible what it is so often invisible: the material impacts of our digital world. Both sides aim to empower all of us, enabling better, informed and science-led decisions.
What insights or perspectives from the workshop discussions surprised you the most?
– The workshop revealed once more and again how complex this space is. When suggesting policy options, one needs to balance the quest for innovation, economic growth, competitiveness, the protection of our environment and the fair distribution of benefits. All while considering a highly turbulent set of geopolitical considerations and the acceleration of resource depletion. Even high-level scholars and practitioners stumble on complexity: charting trade-offs while trying to enhance synergies requires much more than three days and becomes an exercise of careful compromise.
What do you hope participants—both audience members and workshop contributors—will take with them after these events?
– They have choices. They have the power to direct decisions towards the common good, provided they are aware that even what seems immaterial, is not.
What are the next steps after the festival and the white paper—do you see this initiative continuing or expanding?
– Now that it is the hard part: capitalising on what we achieved and channelling the energy of the crowd into meaningful and long-lasting action. The festival will migrate: first stops Zurich and then Venice. The white paper aims at Brussels: we plan to present it widely, spurring discussion and making this debate as alive as ever.
Together, the festival and workshop highlight a growing ambition: not only to question how AI is built and used, but also to imagine alternative futures where technological innovation supports both people and the planet.
