Anna Kantosalo, senior researcher at Haaga-Helia, was appointed co-chair of the programme committee for an international computational creativity conference. The international recognition highlights Finnish expertise in creative AI.
Haaga-Helia's senior researcher Anna Kantosalo was appointed this summer as co-chair of the programme committee for the 17th International Conference on Computational Creativity (ICCC 26), held in Coimbra, Portugal, at the turn of June and July.
Kantosalo's research focuses on the design and evaluation of AI-based systems in creative contexts. According to her, AI research in the creative industries has a long tradition in Europe, and it could serve as one of the flagship areas of European AI development.
In addition to Kantosalo, several other leading Finnish researchers took part in the conference, including Professor Hannu Toivonen of the University of Helsinki, as well as Professor Christian Guckelsberger and Lecturer Severi Uusitalo of Aalto University.
The need for AI expertise is particularly high in the creative industries. This was also reflected in the Finnish AI Region's (FAIR) previous operating period, during which architecture, culture and software companies made up over 56 per cent of the entire client base.
The needs of companies in creative industries often go beyond the standard pursuit of operational efficiency. When AI systems are developed to produce creative content, success cannot be measured by efficiency alone. Equally important is how well the technology supports genuine creative thinking.
This is a delicate design challenge. Poorly built AI tools can constrain creative work rather than support it — for example, by forcing the creator into a decision too early in the creative process.
"The key lies in choosing the right algorithmic approach and designing interfaces that foster creative thinking and adapt to the different stages of the creative process," Kantosalo reflects.
Research by Emil Polyak and Rghad Balkhyoor, presented at ICCC 26, examined precisely this risk. According to the researchers, expressing an idea as an AI prompt too early can limit the designer's creative scope and thereby diminish creativity.
The conference also showcased approaches that go beyond conventional text-based interaction. Professor Jennifer Jacobs presented physical devices that combine traditional ceramics techniques with 3D printing, bringing the expressive power of craftsmanship into industrial-scale production.
In another presentation, researchers Stephen Krol and Jon McCormack introduced work on training aesthetic AI models tailored to specific creative professionals, communities or industries, enabling, for example, more personalised expression.
Meanwhile, Aalto University's Severi Uusitalo, together with researcher Anna-Mari Leppisaari, presented a project using evolutionary algorithms to design prototypes for woven garments. The solution allows designers to experiment digitally before committing to physical materials.
According to Kantosalo, the strong visibility of Finnish researchers at leading international conferences helps connect Finnish research to the broader global research ecosystem for creative AI.
