Talking About AI Ethics Isn’t Optional — It’s Our Compass.

In the age of artificial intelligence, ethics is no longer a side note — it is the foundation. More than ever, we must be open, transparent, and willing to talk about the implications of the tools we create and use. AI is not just the elephant in the room; it is the unknown future that is already unfolding. If we do not actively challenge the way we think, question our assumptions, and evolve our values, we risk being shaped by technology instead of shaping it ourselves. The conversation about ethics in AI is not optional — it is the compass guiding us toward a future worth living in.
Join us for an important and insightful panel talk, and contribute to the change we all need to shape together.

Date: November the 26th (Wednesday)

Time: 9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm EST / 6:00 pm CET

RSVP here: Zoom Webinar

This event is open to the public, and while it’s not exclusively for members, you will need to log in to RSVP (zoom link above). Space is limited to the first 100 attendees, so be sure to register and reserve your spot today!

DR. JANA SEDLAKOVA
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, PHILOSOPHER, ETHICIST
JANASEDLAKOVA.ORG | WWW.JANASEDLAKOVA.ORG | LINKEDIN
X: @_JanaSedlakova_

Dr. Jana Sedlakova is an interdisciplinary researcher bringing methods and insights from philosophy and ethics into other disciplines, mainly at the intersection of data science, health research, and sustainability.

She obtained a PhD from the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine of the University of Zurich, focusing on the ethics of conversational AI in mental healthcare. In 2022, she joined a complementary PhD Program “DSI Excellence PhD Program” of the Digital Society Initiative to strengthen her research with the focus on societal and ethical issues of digitalization. She also chairs two scientific communities: Ethics and Health at the DSI. Finally, she was affiliated with the Institute of Implementation Science in Healthcare to work on more empirically oriented research.

Her PhD research was at the intersection of medical ethics, philosophy of technology, ethics of AI and health research. She focused on the ethical and epistemic challenges and requirements regarding human-AI interaction with a particular focus on healthcare conversational agents used in the context of mental health and well-being. She was also involved in projects focusing on the public legitimacy of digital research methods, the challenges and requirements of the use of digital unstructured data in health research and the use of technologies in shared decision-making. In her research, she aims to bridge the normative, theoretical methods with empirical research.

Her research output includes 15 peer-reviewed articles and three book chapters, regular presentations at national and international conferences, and interdisciplinary outreach activities. Her publications span leading journals in biomedical ethics, including American Journal of Bioethics, forthcoming chapters from the Oxford University Press, and commentary for the Hastings Center Report. She has presented her research at leading international venues, including the Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference, Alan Turing Institute, and the World Congress of Psychiatry. She also continuously organizes workshops, series of lectures and events for public, professional and academic audiences.

Jana will move to Oxford soon and start a new postdoc position there.

BEN LOCK
VFX PRODUCER, ADVISOR, ANIMATION SPECIALIST
MOONVALLEY | WWW.MOONVALLEY.COM | LINKEDIN
X: @benlock

Benjamin Lock is a BAFTA-winning producer with more than 25 years of experience in animation, visual effects, and production technology. A graduate of the UK’s National Film and Television School, his career spans Europe, Asia, and North America, with credits including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Ready Player One.

He has held senior roles at Aardman, Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic, and Autodesk, producing award-winning work and helping teams navigate the creative, technical, and cultural demands of modern filmmaking.

Now based in Los Angeles, Ben serves as Director of Production Strategy at Moonvalley’s Asteria Film Company at Mack Sennett Studios, where he focuses on building artist-centric, scalable AI workflows for film and animation, with the commercially-safe genAI Model “Marey”.

Ben is Chair of the VES Education Committee, leads the Producers Guild of America’s Conversations in Innovation group, and is a member of BAFTA, the Television Academy, and ASIFA-Hollywood.

VICTOR PEREZ
DIRECTOR, VFX SUPERVISOR
VICTORPEREZ.CO.UK | WWW.LINKTR.EEVCTRPRZ | LINKEDIN
Instagram: @victorperez_official | X: @vctrprz | Facebook: @victorperezdirector

Victor Perez is a renowned figure in the global visual effects industry. His career spans over 28 years so far, and he has worked in many areas of visual storytelling. Starting as a photographer and cinematographer, extending his interest to the whole image post-production process and evolving into a visual effects artist with a special focus on photorealistic compositing of CGI. Along the way, he has worked on a number of Hollywood films, including Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’, plus many more. Eventually, he became a Film Director, and his career naturally led him to his current role as a Visual Effects Supervisor.

What really drives Perez is his focus on storytelling. He is fascinated by how new technologies can help filmmakers tell stories in ways never seen before. His work is a fine alchemy of Science, Technology, and Art, reflecting his passion for innovation and creativity.

In parallel and compatible with his professional career as a production visual effects supervisor, Victor Perez has built a name for himself in the visual effects industry worldwide for the last 15 years by sharing his knowledge and work with the global community of visual effects professionals. Regularly invited to renowned events such as Siggraph, FMX, VIEW Conference, and more, he has become an influential figure in the field. His insights and accomplishments have been featured in specialised press, including Cinefex, FXGuide, The VFX Voice, and Before & Afters, to mention a few. In 2012, he was voted one of the most influential visual effects artists in the world by the specialised press of Nukepedia. Acting as Brand Ambassador for ASUS, Autodesk, Eizo, Wacom and Foundry, Perez receives sponsorship, the latest technology, and financial support for his pioneering artistic research. Internationally regarded as a VFX compositing guru, he has delivered Masterclasses on Photorealistic Full-CGI Compositing at industry-leading institutions like Pixar Animation Studios and Dneg; and educational institutes like Escape Studios, and The Animation Workshops. In 2016, he was invited to speak at TED, showcasing his research and its connection with his personal life, featuring a live demo of the visual effects compositing process. Perez’s publications on various facets of visual effects are available through Routhledge, Netflix, FxPhD, and other outlets. Author of the industry-standard best selling book “The Color Management Handbook for Visual Effects Artists” published by Focal Press.

Victor Perez’s multifaceted career in filmmaking has been honoured with over 50 awards and nominations. He has been recognised for his roles as visual effects supervisor, director, writer, and producer. Among these honours there are two prestigious Italian Academy Awards “David di Donatello,” which he received, in 2019 for his outstanding work on “The Invisible Boy: Second Generation”, and in 2025 for his internationally acclaimed work on “Naples – New York.” In 2019, he made history with his experimental project “Echo,” which he also directed. It earned a nomination at the Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards for Best Virtual Cinematography, marking the first time a short film had ever been nominated for this prestigious award. Through his extensive career, Victor Perez continues to be a beacon of innovation and divulgation in the visual effects community, bridging the gap between technology, creativity, and storytelling.

FRANK GOVAERE
FILMMAKER, AUTHOR, VFX SUPERVISOR
GOVAERE.DE | WWW.GOVAERE.DE | LINKEDIN

Frank Govaere is a creative professional with more than thirty years of experience in film, animation, visual effects and immersive media. He began in traditional hand drawn animation and moved step by step into digital production, real time engines, volumetric film and virtual production. This long journey shaped him into someone who understands craft and technology as two sides of the same creative impulse.

He has worked across Europe and Asia as an animator, filmmaker, visual effects supervisor and creative technologist. Frank is known for connecting artists and engineers and for guiding productions through complex creative and technical challenges. His work is driven by the belief that technology only becomes meaningful when it enriches human imagination.

As an author and mentor he explores the meeting point of art and innovation and encourages others to approach new tools with curiosity rather than fear. His projects reflect a fascination for how stories change when the tools of storytelling evolve and how creative identity can stay vital in a rapidly changing media landscape.

AGON USHAKU – EVENT CO-HOST
CG CONSULTANT, CHAIR VES GERMANY & VES MEGABRAIN MASTERCLASSES
VES, POLYGRAIL | WWW.VESGLOBAL.ORGMEGABRAIN | LINKEDIN
Instagram: @agonushaku | X: @AgonUshaku

He is Head of CAD Management at Polygrail GmbH in Stuttgart, after two decades at Unexpected GmbH. He leads industrial visualization and manages the 3D data pipeline, including geometry processing, modeling, CGI standards, real-time technologies, and tool development.

With over 25 years in the 3D/CGI industry, he has contributed to projects ranging from industrial visualization to entertainment and is highly skilled in leading CGI/VFX technologies. His leadership and expertise have shaped feature films, commercials, and automotive visualizations. He also provides consultancy and is recognized for mentoring and team motivation.

He holds key roles in the Visual Effects Society: Chairman of the Germany Section, Curator of VES Megabrain Masterclasses, Member of the VES Awards Committee, Member of the VES Educational Committee, Member of the VES Global Board of Directors and Global Director for Nomination Events. Additionally, he lectures on 2D/3D Design and 3D Modeling at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart.

MATTHIAS BUEHLER – EVENT CO-HOST
FOUNDER & CTO
VRBN | WWW.VRBN.IO | LINKEDIN
Instagram: @ice_conference | X: @IceConference | Facebook: @iceconf

After graduating from ETH Zurich (MSc Arch ETH), Matthias has worked in landscape architecture, architectural visualization and then has been part of the CityEngine development team for almost 5 years. He has a profound knowledge of 3D Modelling, Rendering, Visualization, Digital Sets and VFX in general.

He has held countless international presentations, workshops and trainings. In the field of 3D Urban Design, 3D Geodesign and Master Planning, he has designed key workflows and pipelines. He specialization is in 3D city related services, consulting, training, procedural city modelling, custom CGA rule development and advanced visualization.

Matthias founded vrbn (say ‘urban’) as a consultancy and service provider which creates 3D cities and procedural content creation technologies for multiple sectors, such as Games, VFX, Architecture, XR and others which need synthetic data.

Further, he co-organizes industry events such as the CityEngine User Meeting, the ICE.ART 3D Environment Conference (a FMX Conference Partner), is the host of the 3D Environment Podcast and is part of the Board of Managers of the German Section of the Visual Effects Society (VES). Matthias was recently also asked to join the prestigious Associates Board of FMX 2026.