AI Commons Competition
Common Tongues, Different Voices:
Creative explorations of AI, workplace communication, and research culture
Competition theme
Participants are invited to creatively explore and express how AI is shaping communication, collaboration, connection, and belonging within the research ecosystem. Submissions may explore how AI serves as a bridge, barrier, mediator, collaborator, disruptor (or any other role you choose to define) within communication and relationships in the research environment.
Themes may include (but are not limited to):
- how AI shapes communication across disciplines, roles, and institutional hierarchies
- how using AI in communication may mitigate or reinforce silos
- the use of AI for translation, rewriting, interpretation, or adaptation of language
- how AI may contribute to misunderstanding, ambiguity, miscommunication, or exclusion
- the role of AI in collaboration, connection, and community within the research ecosystem
- AI and questions of linguistic diversity, accessibility, and inclusive communication
- emotional experiences of communicating through, with, or alongside AI tools
- how AI influences belonging, participation, or visibility within institutional spaces
- the interplay between human expression, institutional voice, and machine-generated language
- hopes, anxieties, contradictions, resistances, or unexpected encounters relating to AI tools
- the changing relationship between people, communication, and technology in and across the research ecosystem
Participants are encouraged to identify unique expressions or directions they want to pursue or explore, so long as these are rooted in:
- AI and communication
- Organisational/workplace roles and contexts
- Factors relating to research culture, connection and/or community
Submission details
Submission formats
Participants are encouraged to interpret these themes broadly and creatively through any medium or format, and to choose a form that best expresses their perspective and experience. Eligible formats may include, but are not limited to:
- posters
- photography
- illustration or painting
- collage or mixed media
- poetry/spoken word
- short stories or flash fiction
- audio recordings or songs
- short films or animations
- zines
- digital art
- performance pieces
- interactive media
- AI-assisted creative works
Participation and prizes
- Shortlisted eligible participants will receive a £20 Edenred e-voucher
- The competition winner will receive a £100 Edenred e-voucher
- We can consider requests to support with modest material/production costs
- Participants must be in an academic, professional service, or research technical professional role - or a postgraduate research student - at University of Warwick (PGT and UG students are not eligible to participate)
- In principle we are very happy to consider a group submission, however we are only able to provide one voucher per shortlisted submission, and the prize will only be paid to the activity ‘lead’ (the individual who actually submits the finished piece).
How to take part
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Express your interestLink opens in a new window in taking part by 31 May
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Please note that places are limited. We will select participants based on clarity of idea, relevance to the theme, and to ensure a diverse range of perspectives and formats. We will inform people if they have been selected to participate in early June.
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Selected participants will need to submit their work by 28 June
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Participants will need to attend an in-person showcase event sometime between 29 June and 10 July, where they will introduce and discuss their submission with other participants and audience members. Please indicate your availability within this period using the EOI submission form
Dissemination
Submissions will be showcased at an event in late June/early July. Following this, copies and/or photographs of your work will be displayed on a dedicated webpage about the competition and included in our AI Commons research culture report. Images of your work may also be used in other reports, comms and webpages for broader research culture activities.
AI use guidance
AI tools may be incorporated into:
- the creative process,
- development of ideas,
- editing,
- the final output,
provided that:
- participants do not submit purely AI-generated outputs
- their use of AI is clearly disclosed, including relevant prompts where appropriate
- participants briefly reflect on why and how AI was used
Accompanying reflection
The competition is intended to encourage thoughtful engagement with AI, communication, and research culture. To support this, each final submission should include an accompanying written reflection (500-800 words) addressing:
- why the chosen format was selected,
- how the work relates to the competition theme,
- what the participant hopes to communicate through the piece,
- any use of AI tools in the process, and how they were used.
Assessment criteria
Submissions will be assessed according to:
- engagement with the competition theme;
- originality and thoughtfulness;
- clarity and impact of communication
The quality of the accompanying reflection and discussion during the showcase event will also be taken into account.
Enquiries: Jason.Snow@warwick.ac.uk and Federica.Coluzzi@warwick.ac.uk
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