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Points of Intersection: Exploring the Role of AI in the Performing Arts
On 25-28 March 2026, the School of Performing Arts of the University of Malta, in collaboration with the Department of AI, and in partnership with Intellect Books, hosted its 12th Annual International Conference, co-convened by Dr Margaret Westby, Dr Jeremy Coleman, and Prof. Vicki Ann Cremona.
This year’s interdisciplinary conference was titled: ‘Vanishing Acts: Artificial Intelligence, Performative Knowledge, Sustainable Memory’. It was held at UM Valletta Campus and at Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS), consisting of four days of keynote addresses, roundtables, paper panels, workshops, demonstrations and performances. The conference was sponsored by Arts Council Malta, Creative Europe Desk Malta, Culture Venture, Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), and Tech.mt.
Over a hundred delegates attended, including from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South America, UK and USA, as well as from various European countries. The conference also featured various departments from the University of Malta, including the Institute of Digital Games, the Department of Sociology (Faculty of Arts), the Department of Digital Arts (Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences), and the Department of Computer Science (Faculty of Information & Communication Technology). The Maltese arts community was also represented by the Arts Council and Culture Venture.
Prof. Susan Kozel, from the School of Arts and Communication, Malmö University, Sweden, gave the opening keynote speech, entitled: ‘AI for AI: Anteriority and Interiority as a Response to AI-inflected Dance’.
The second day opened with a presentation by Prof. Gordon Pace from MDIA, one of the sponsors of the event, followed by a keynote address by Prof. Chris Salter, Director of the Immersive Arts Space at the Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland. His talk centred on the theme: ‘Speech Acts, Agency, Action: What Do We Mean by “Performative AI”?’.
The third day featured keynote speaker Prof. Rebecca Fiebrink, from the Creative Computing Institute of the University of the Arts London, UK, who shared her work on the topic ‘Re-thinking Machine Learning through Creative Practice: Insights from Music and Art’.
The three speakers participated in a concluding Roundtable discussion which also featured Prof. Vanessa Camilleri from the Department of AI and Dr Gege Gatt, CEO of EBO.ai, moderated by Prof. Matthew Montebello. The fourth day events took place at MICAS, where workshops, performances and a final reception were held.
This event was one of the first interdisciplinary conferences anywhere to address and challenge the multiple uses of AI in the performing arts. By bringing together artists, researchers, and technologists, the conference provided a platform to reflect on the role of AI in shaping future creative landscapes while preserving diverse narratives and performative traditions.
For further information and reflections on the conference, please refer to the following online articles covering the event:
