Welcome to GLOBAL AI FILM HACK
Global AI Film Hack @ MIT
2026 SEASON 4
"OPEN YOUR EYES"
Open Your Eyes is not simply about Vision.
It is about Perspective. Presence. Consciousness.
“The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe.” —— Ways of Seeing, John Berger
In 1972, Berger challenged the neutrality of vision. He argued that seeing is never passive, it is shaped by history, power, memory, and ideology. In an age of mechanical reproduction, he asked us to question how images construct meaning.
Today, in the age of generative AI, the question returns with new urgency. AI can generate endless faces and worlds, but storytelling demands more than that. It requires continuity, emotion, and characters who persists across time. A believable presence. A consistent inner life.
This year, we invite creators to move beyond image and into presence, work across 2D, 3D, live-action hybrids, and interactive forms to build AI characters that do more than appear on screen.
Not just visible, but vivid.
Not just generated, but felt.
Join us on this journey.
Poster designed by Jiajian Min with AI.
PIONEERING AI FILM & ART EVENT FROM MIT
This is not just a hackathon. It is a global call to reimagine character, storytelling, and the future of cinema.
Founded at MIT in 2023, Global AI Film Hack is one of the earliest and most internationally recognized platforms dedicated to AI Filmmaking, media art, and next-generation storytelling.
Each year, it brings together filmmakers, artists, researchers, technologists, students, and creative pioneers from around the world to explore how AI is transforming the language of film, digital media, and immersive experience.
SUPPORTED BY
A GLOBAL CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM
MIT Media Lab ● SXSW ● Google ● OpenArt ● Autodesk ● Runwayml ● StabilityAI ● CINEQUEST ● Seattle AIFF ● HKUST AMC ● Pixverse ● Deemos ● Meshy ● SAGA ● Molypix ● AIVA ● FLICK ● Imastudio ● Runway ● TripoAI ● MiniMax ● PikaAI
1500+ Participants
50+ Partners
50+ Countries
200+ Original AI Films
OUR CORE VALUES
“CREATIVITY BEFORE COMPUTATION”
IMAGINATION
We champion bold ideas that challenge assumptions and open unexpected directions for storytelling and artistic expression.
COLLABORATION
By connecting artists, technologists, researchers, and students, we create a community where shared knowledge leads to stronger, more ambitious outcomes.
EXPERIMENTATION
We encourage creators to push boundaries of technology and aesthetics, and explore the new language of AI art and film.
EVOLUTION
From 2023 to 2026, we continuously adapt to new ideas, new pipelines and new cultural shifts to ensure creativity keeps moving forward.
MEET OUR JUDGES & SPEAKERS
LEADING VOICES IN ART, TECH & CINEMA
Adobe, ML Engineering Manager (Gen AI)
MIT CSAIL & EECS PhD Alumni
2024 Hack Judge, Speaker
Alvin Wang Graylin
Stanford HAI/DEL Digital-Fellow
Virtual World Society, Chairman
HTC, ex-President
2025 Hack Judge, Speaker
Caroline A. Jones
MIT Department of Architecture Professor, Associate Dean
2025 Hack Speaker
Jay Scheib
MIT Music & Theater Arts Professor
Head of Section of Theater Arts
2025 Hack Speaker
John Gauntt
Creative Director, Seattle AI Film Festival
Founder, Culture & Code
2026 Hack Judge, 2025 Hack Speaker
John Rosenberg
USC Professor of the Practice of Cinematic Arts
Film Editor
2026 Hack Judge
Fred Grinstein
Machine Cinema Cofounder
USC Adjunct Professor - Directing AI (MFA)
2026 Hack Judge
Joseph A. Paradiso
MIT Media Lab Professor
Associate Academic Head,
Program in Media Arts and Sciences
2025 Hack Speaker
Paige Bailey
Google Deepmind, AI Developer Relations Engineering Lead
2025 Hack Speaker, Judge
Coco Mao
OpenArt, Cofounder & CEO
2025 Hack Speaker
Souki Mansoor
OpenAI, Artist Programs & Creative Community Lead
2024 Hack Speaker, Judge
Pat Pataranutaporn
MIT Media Lab Asisstant Professor
Founding Director of the Cyborg Psychology Research Group
2023, 2024 Hack Speaker, Judge
Ben Relles
Office of Reid Hoffman, Content Strategy
YouTube Originals, ex-Head of Innovation
2023, 2024 Hack Judge, Speaker
Baimei Yu
Director, Screenwriter, and Producer
2025 Hack Judge
Rashin Fahandej
Multimedia Artist, Immersive Filmmaker, Futurist, Cultural Activist
Emerson College Associate Professor
2024, 2025 Hack Speaker
Antonio Somaini
Harvard University Visiting Professor
2025 Hack Speaker
Rob Minkoff
American director, animator, and producer
Co-Director of The Lion King
2024 Speaker, Judge
Halfdan Hussey
Cinequest, Cofounder & CEO
Creatics Enterprises, Cofounder & CEO
Maverick Studio, Cofounder & CEO
2025 Hack Speaker
100+ Leading Voices bridging academia and industry
Join Our 2026 Visionary Panels!
Global AI Film Hack @ MIT