Building on the momentum of the successful MyWorld accelerator programme, this new initiative, delivered by Digital Catapult and NVIDIA, seeks to explore how AI can enhance creative operations, content delivery, and audience engagement, unlocking industrial growth and investment opportunities.

The BBC will work with Fictioneers, Black Goblin, and The Gentleman Octopus to enhance its audio offerings and engage audiences more deeply. Fictioneers will create an AI-powered creative assistant to augment development processes using the BBC Archives, offering tools for interactive podcasts and new audio storytelling formats. The Gentleman Octopus will design an AI-driven system to create real-time visualisations of audio for personalised music shows, delivering immersive content. Black Goblin's Thol will develop an AI sound design suite that automates the creation of high-quality sound effects from visual content, enriching the BBC's audio productions.

AWS will mentor Nulight Studio, Noods Radio, Force of Habit, and SuperScout in developing groundbreaking production solutions. Nulight Studio will leverage generative AI to transform video and audio production workflows, enhancing creativity in film and media. SuperScout's iPhone app will streamline location scouting with AI, turning a tedious process into an efficient, automated workflow. Noods Radio aims to personalise user experiences and automate routine tasks with an interactive chatbot. Force of Habit's IMPRESS Insights will provide video game developers with real-time player experience tracking, enhancing marketing, production, and support.

Bristol-based Gritty Talent will focus on improving talent engagement and retention in the creative sector, while Weaving Change will introduce an AI Outfit Recommendation Algorithm to suggest personalised outfits from users' wardrobes, promoting sustainability and creativity in fashion.

The MyWorld programme, led by the University of Bristol and funded by the UKRI Strength in Places fund, positions the West of England as a global hub for creative technology innovation. Digital Catapult will deliver the accelerator, providing startups with funding, technological support, investment advice, and tailored workshops, culminating in a showcase event in Bristol later this year.

Alan Archer-Boyd, Lead Engineer (Audio R&D) at the BBC, said: “BBC R&D is pleased to support this MyWorld Challenge. The BBC relies on a vibrant and innovative creative industry across the UK, and Bristol and the West of England is an important part of the industry. This challenge will be of great benefit to the region, and I look forward to working closely with the successful challenge entrants.”

Commenting on their solution, Matthew Hawn, CEO of Fictioneers, said: “Generative AI has the potential to be far more than a tool for generating gigabytes of anodyne content. Our prototype demonstrates how AI can become a bicycle for creative minds, helping them explore existing media archives, spark new ideas, and accelerate the development of compelling new formats. We’re not replacing storytellers, we’re giving them superpowers.”

Sarah Addezio, Senior Innovation Partner at Digital Catapult, said: “The UK’s creative industries are a critical enabler of employment, business growth, and entertainment across the country. Supporting collaboration through the MyWorld programme between large organisations and startups has never been more important, as the sector tests and develops new trustworthy AI solutions. These solutions offer opportunities for businesses to utilise AI to improve operations, transform production processes, and solve inefficiencies, all while ensuring responsible and ethical considerations are taken into account. I’d like to congratulate the participating companies on their success in joining the programme.”