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Singapore Polytechnic's Media, Arts & Design School (SP MAD) is proud to be part of AICON 2026, Asia's human-first AI festival, returning on 8–9 October 2026 at *SCAPE Singapore under the theme "AI for Everyone."

Now in its second year, AICON brings together government, industry, educators and innovators to advance AI literacy, creativity and collaboration. The festival is built around four pillars — Learn, Create, Connect and Play — with programmes spanning AI literacy, education, jobs and careers, governance, responsible AI, and hands-on creation. The inaugural edition drew more than 5,000 attendees from over 10 countries, and this year's edition doubles down on participation, with visitors leaving each session having co-created something with AI.

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SP MAD's Contributions

SP MAD will be running an AI filmmaking workshop on Day One of the festival, giving attendees a hands-on introduction to the creative possibilities of AI in film production. The workshop is part of a packed programme of hands-on sessions designed to make AI tangible and accessible for everyone — from students and educators to working professionals.

Adding to SP MAD's presence at the festival, SP's very own Jeffrey Xu will lead a dedicated session on the future of AI cinema. Jeffrey recently clinched the grand prize at the ChungKang International AI Genre Film Festival, and his session promises to offer a compelling look at where AI-driven storytelling is headed.

SP joins fellow institutes of higher learning Temasek Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic as participating partners at AICON 2026.

About AICON 2026

AICON 2026 is held in support of the national Digital for Life movement, with partners including Tesla, NTUC's e2i, Singtel, Design Singapore, ASUS, Alibaba, *SCAPE, and the Artificial Intelligence International Institute, among others. Tickets are available at www.aicon.show, with general admission two-day passes at SGD $48 and VIP passes at SGD $98. Early-bird pricing runs until 30 September 2026.

We look forward to seeing SP MAD fly the flag for creative AI education at this exciting festival. Catch us there!