AGENDA

A reflection on how every creative leap in history begins with convergence — when technology, design, and human ingenuity meet in the right moment. Joaquín explores the parallels between past revolutions and today’s new creative frontier, where progress is once again reshaping how we think, work, and create.

As large language models continue to expand in size and complexity, traditional deployment methods fall short of meeting the scalability, latency, and cost-efficiency requirements of modern inference workloads. This talk explores the evolution of cloud-native LLM deployment—from single-container replicas to distributed, RDMA-enabled, multi-node inference. Using production-grade engines such as vLLM and SGLang, we’ll dissect the core mechanics of KV-cache sharing, disaggregated prefill/decode execution (xPyD), and LeaderWorkerSet orchestration in Kubernetes, highlighting how these patterns eliminate redundant compute and unlock efficient horizontal scaling across GPUs and nodes.

We are living in a time where having an imaginary friend is suddenly not weird anymore. As a Associate Design Director at a global digital agency, this friend became essential in my day-to-day work. Nowadays things need to go faster, budgets aren’t limitless and deadlines are getting tighter. This results in working and thinking more efficient without losing on quality, quantity or creativity.

Research, constant curiosity, and experimentation are the foundations of the creative process. From this perspective, nothing is ever truly finished—but sometimes it’s better to do something imperfectly than not do it at all. It’s in the process that we learn. The journey is the destination. This is the mindset that drives Isabelita Virtual’s professional practice. Her talk will be a journey through her career and the quantum leaps she has made along the way—from starting out as a creative copywriter to showcasing work in Times Square, shooting photography campaigns for Hermès and Boucheron, working as a strategist for Meta in Paris, or premiering an AI short film in collaboration with OpenAI in New York. Catch it in beta version. Better done than perfect.

What happens when your users have never existed before? As AI becomes decision-maker, we face the unprecedented challenge of designing for intelligence that “thinks” differently than we do.

At the Upscale Conference, BytePlus will host a hands-on workshop demonstrating how AI collapses creative workflows, from idea to production, in minutes. Attendees will see live showcases transforming sentences into storyboards, generating personalised dynamic visuals, building full brand suites from a single prompt, and delivering production-quality output, all through streamlined three-step workflows they can try during the session

A round table discussion about the Chroma Awards competition with PJ Accetturo, Justin Hackney, Mike Skowron and Ben Glikbarg

A 60-minute, high-voltage masterclass where Stéphane & Bruno tear down the myth that AI replaces creativity. Live on stage, they flip a real client brief, surf budgets, expose their hybrid workflow (human performance + machine vision), and prove that taste beats tools. This is a cinematic confrontation with risk, process, and profit — for people who still care about making culture, not decks. Recent campaigns include the NFL, Mercedes (with will.i.am), Google, GM, and more — mainly for the U.S. market.

This presentation will showcase our journey, highlight cutting-edge advancements, and explore inspiring use cases that demonstrate the true potential of AI in storytelling

I break down my formula for creating viral ads for the biggest brands in the world.

Discover how filmmakers worldwide are integrating AI tools into pre-production, production, and post-production, and how Hailuo empowers creative storytelling through text-to-video, image-to-video, and audio generation.

Inside the creative process of blending traditional storytelling, design craft, and the possibilities of AI to shape brand worlds.

In an age of abundance, creators are rediscovering purpose - building work that is authentic, intimate, and deeply human. This renaissance goes beyond cinema into culture at large: a grassroots evolution powered by independent voices, new tools, and communities shaping their own future. It is about giving filmmakers freedom from old constraints, opening new cinematic possibilities through technology and collaboration. At its core, it lives in collectives that support one another, proving grounds where independent storytellers share resources, push boundaries, and redefine what filmmaking can be.

In 90 minutes, discover the complete workflow that Laura uses: from initial concept to final image. You’ll see live how she develops an idea, the editing tools she uses, upscaling techniques, and digital retouching to achieve professional results. There will be time to answer questions. What you’ll see: • Complete process: from idea to final image • Digital editing and retouching tools • Professional upscaling techniques • Practical post-production tips

An open conversation with one of the creators behind The Dor Brothers.

A hands-on session where we'll explore how AI can remove bottlenecks and accelerate creative workflows for brands, agencies, and teams. We’ll begin with practical tips for writing better prompts, including the use of structured JSON prompts, then quickly move into generating consistent image assets that align with brand storytelling. From there, we’ll push those visuals further by animating them into short videos, simulating campaign-ready use cases. By the end of the workshop, participants will have better insight on: - Prompt strategies that drive consistency and control - Generate brand-aligned images ready for campaign use - How to choose the right model for the job, balancing quality and efficiency - Transform static visuals into engaging motion pieces - Properly integrate AI into workflows to reduce bottlenecks and deliver value faster

At a time when generative AI is transforming audiovisual creation, the prevailing narrative is that it will kill creativity. But we believe in a non-dichotomous world — one where AI and human creativity are not at odds, but reconciled, generating projects the world has never seen before.

Learn how MiniMax’s latest multimodal breakthroughs — including Hailuo 2.3 Audio 2.6, M2, Music 2.0 and its next-gen agent models — are setting new standards in reasoning, motion, and human-AI collaboration.

The reach of design has never been greater. While this is a positive accomplishment for a discipline eager for recognition, it also brings an acute layer of responsibility. Unfortunately, design has often ignored its role in creating a culture of excess, addiction, and pollution. Today, we simply cannot afford more design solutions thrown into a vacuum of consequences. The big question is, how can we justify such moral failure by design? Why do designers fall into such a recurrent fallacy, in all antagonistic to their aim of solving problems and helping humans? This talk will expand on some of the reasons driving design’s moral disengagement and propose a set of possible tactics to embrace change and design for a better world. The talk is tied to the publication of “The New Designer: Rejecting Myths, Embracing Change” by MIT Press (2023).

How to Create Effective AI Storyboards for Image and Video This workshop explores the process of transforming a creative idea into a fully realized pre-production concept using AI. Participants will learn how to build AI-enhanced storyboards that align with traditional visual storytelling methods — a crucial step for client approvals in commercial work. Through hands-on demonstrations, attendees will see how to blend AI tools with Freepik’s creative resources to rapidly prototype visuals, structure advertising concepts, and prepare assets for production.

Discover how to harness AI not only to power the content your audience sees, but also to optimize the workflows behind the scenes. Enabling you to create smarter, faster, and more scalable content.

With AI reshaping the creative and business world, organizations are embracing new tools to gain a competitive edge—unlocking new value while doing more with less. But in the race to automate, systematize, and optimize for efficiency, what remains of a brand? How do you stand out? How do you craft a unique story, build emotional connections, and stay true to your purpose amid constant change? How do you use emerging technologies to enhance creativity, without losing your soul? Most importantly, how do you endure?

As Day 2 comes to a close, Martin LeBlanc invites us to pause and look ahead at where creativity and technology meet. This session explores how generative AI is reshaping motion and storytelling — from smoother video workflows to adaptive, localized content — and introduces Spaces, Freepik’s new node-based Gen AI platform for creators who want control and experimentation in equal measure.