Digital Catapult has announced the eight companies joining its High Growth AI Accelerator for the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, in partnership with leading creative industry players LADbible Group, Merlin Entertainments, Bauer Media Group and Music Technology UK. By developing new creative innovations to enhance efficiency, engagement, and content quality, the participating companies will accelerate the practical application of deep tech, and boost scalability by leveraging cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).
This is the latest initiative from the BridgeAI programme, delivered by a consortium including Innovate UK, Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, the Hartree Centre (STFC) and the British Standards Institution (BSI), through which over £60 million has been awarded so far to businesses in high-growth potential economic sectors, to improve productivity and efficiency through the adoption of new AI solutions. Each of the eight participating companies will receive support from experts at Digital Catapult to develop and commercialise their solutions, helping them to scale faster and bring their products to market more effectively.
Music Technology UK, the membership association for innovation in the music industry, will explore how AI can simplify rights management for entertainers, and empower artists on digital streaming platforms. Working with Halo and Echo Ltd, Feedback and Flossy AI Ltd, Halo and Echo’s AI-driven marketing platform, HypeMuse, aims to enhance content creation and amplify the reach of creative professionals with AI. Feedback will transform live shows by simplifying performance rights management for artists, and offering real-time insights into audience sentiment. Flossy AI Ltd will use AI to power a merchandise personalisation platform to encourage ethical and artist-friendly AI innovation.
Merlin Entertainments, the global leader in branded entertainment destinations, will partner with innovators on the programme to develop a solution to improve the visitor experience and offer guests more personalised interactions. Placemaking AI, which leverages real-time insights to create unique guest experiences, will work alongside Tellme AI Ltd, an AI company that creates virtual tour guides for tourist attractions, to make Merlin Entertainments’ venues more accessible, entertaining and immersive for international audiences.
Digital media content will also be a focus of the new cohort, as LADbible, one of the world’s largest social publishers with a following of 452 million worldwide, will collaborate with Assistant Engineering Ltd to develop an AI-powered video metadata extraction tool (VMET). The new solution will generate precise keywords and metadata, allowing LADbible’s viewers to find and engage with video content more effectively, benefitting advertisers, partners and creators, as well as entertaining more audiences.
Bauer Media will collaborate with two pioneers on the programme to improve and enhance its audio output, focusing on audio content and how to further drive engagement with listeners. Using proprietary AI, Overtone Technology Ltd will bring tone analysis to audio content and adclear.ai’s solution will transform the way adverts are reviewed with an automated process. Both solutions will ensure that listeners receive compelling content, significantly enhancing the listening experience while ensuring that advertisers reach the right audiences.
With one in 14 people employed by the creative industries and the UK Government’s plans to make these industries a key driver of economic growth under the Creating Growth initiative, the High Growth AI Accelerator, as a part of the BridgeAI programme, will drive forward the ambition to leverage human-centred creativity and AI to unlock new creative frontiers. Participants will have access to advanced computational resources, expert strategic guidance on AI development and comprehensive risk identification and mitigation strategies, finishing with a showcase for their solutions where they will demonstrate the ethical integrity and value of their solutions.
To date, BridgeAI’s High Growth AI accelerator programmes have enabled participating companies to scale at pace and advance industrial sustainability, developing deeptech innovations for specific industries. Previous participants have seen their products evolve significantly on the programme, reporting an increase of 25% in terms of operational efficiency, and the accuracy of their AI model increasing by 20%, improving the use of resources and effectively cutting carbon emissions.
Megan Wastell, Global Creative Director at Merlin Entertainments, said: “The BridgeAI accelerator is an exciting chance to work directly with startups who are tackling real-world challenges in the creative sector. I’m really looking forward to seeing how AI can help us streamline creative workflows and improve guest experiences. The potential for AI to transform everything from storytelling to how we manage our operations is huge, and it’s amazing to be a part of that journey.”
Sara El-Hanfy, Head of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning at Innovate UK, said: “The projects that are a part of the High Growth Accelerator have great potential to address challenges within the creative sector and drive value through AI innovation. As part of the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, this cohort is part of a wider portfolio of companies accelerating the adoption of AI across the UK.”
Jessica Rushworth, Chief Strategy and Policy Officer, at Digital Catapult, said: “This is a transformative initiative set to solve some of the most pressing challenges in the UK’s creative industries by leveraging cutting-edge innovations. With partners Bauer Media, Music Technology UK, LADbible, and Merlin Entertainments, the programme not only accelerates the application of deep tech solutions but also provides insight into practical opportunities for businesses to scale faster and apply these technologies to real-world challenges.”
For more updates on the latest cohort click here.
