With headlines raging this week on the disruptive potential of ChatGPT, it seems like there’s never been a more fitting moment for creativity expert Duncan Wardle to take to the stage and give an opening keynote at Kidscreen Summit 2023, taking place in Miami from February 12 to 15.

The release of ChatGPT, a language-mimicking tool for producing text that’s convincingly human, is being hailed as a “landmark event” in AI development. But Wardle believes we can arm ourselves from a technology takeover of creative jobs by leaning into our human advantages: innovation, intuition, curiosity and imagination.

These are learned skills, he argues, and ones that Disney and Pixar have pretty much honed to perfection. Wardle worked at Disney for more than 25 years, with a focus on making innovation tangible and supporting divisions like Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and Disney Parks in their quest to create new stories and experiences. He also teaches master classes on innovation at Harvard and Yale, and is a regular TED speaker.

Switching gears, the Summit’s Tuesday keynote will feature comedians Samantha Bee and Allana Harkin discussing their new show, Best Day Ever, and how humor and improv can help kids develop valuable life skills like teamwork, confidence and creative thinking. With isolation and mental health ranking as topline concerns for parents, caregivers and educators, it’s a conversation that’s particularly relevant right now for the kids content industry.

And finally, the Kidscreen Summit keynote series will finish on Wednesday with a creative conversation featuring actor, writer and producer Sonia Manzano and ballet dancer Misty Copeland. Together, they’ll talk about how they each blazed new trails in American culture, and why they’re building brave new on-screen worlds that they wish they’d grown up in themselves.

Manzano is an icon of children’s television, portraying the character of Maria on Sesame Street for 44 years, winning an Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award, and launching PBS KIDS animated series Alma’s Way for preschoolers. Copeland is the first African-American woman to be named a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater. A new mom now, she has written two children’s books and is venturing into the kids TV industry with an animated series concept called The Firebird, about a young, aspiring ballerina who struggles with confidence until she finds her inspiration.

Kidscreen Summit 2023 begins in the afternoon on Sunday, February 12 with a half day of networking and mentoring leading into a Super Bowl Watch Party, followed by three full days of conference programming from Monday to Wednesday covering the topics that have the industry talking right now.

Pictured above. from left to right, is Samantha Bee, Misty Copeland, Duncan Wardle, Allana Harkin and Sonia Manzano.