/ About this event
AI is making creative work faster, cheaper, and more abundant than ever.
But when almost anything can be generated in seconds, what becomes more valuable?
We already pay more for handmade goods, artisan food, and experiences where craftsmanship and human effort matter. Could creativity be next? Will “Made by Humans” become a premium — or, if the final result is just as good, will audiences simply choose what is cheaper and faster?
Join us for a candid, collective conversation bringing together filmmakers and creators, AI builders and technologists, investors, and the audiences who ultimately experience and pay for their work.
We’ll explore:
When does AI empower a creator — and when does it replace one? Does knowing how something was made change how much we value it? Would you pay more for something created by humans? If AI lowers the cost of creation, where does the value move? Could “Made by Humans” become the next mark of craftsmanship? And in the AI gold rush, how do we capture new opportunities without losing the originality and human connection that make creativity matter?
This won't be a conversation where experts talk and everyone else listens. Your perspective is part of the discussion.
Creators tell us what they want to preserve. Technologists show us what is becoming possible. Investors help determine what gets funded and scaled. And audiences ultimately decide what they watch, love, share — and pay for.
The People Who Make × The People Who Build × The People Who Experience
The future of creativity won't be shaped by any one group alone.
We're bringing these different perspectives into the same room to explore what human creativity is worth in an age when machines can create too.
Our Speakers
Jaice DuMars is a composer, film producer & engineering leader. Jaice DuMars works at the intersection of creative expression, filmmaking, and technology. A composer, artist, and film producer, they are the founder of Score Reveal Productions, which creates uplifting audio and visual media. Jaice also brings 30 years of experience in technology and more than 18 years in engineering leadership, including work with Apple, Google, Microsoft, and VMware. As the former CEO of ReelVenue, they also explored new possibilities for independent-film distribution. Jaice brings a distinctive perspective on how emerging technology can expand creative possibilities while keeping artists, stories, and communities at the center.
Fred Grinstein is co-founder of Machine Cinema, a 15,000+ member creative professional network at the forefront of generative AI filmmaking, producing GenJam™ events and summits across LA, SF, and New York. A media executive with two decades in premium film and television — including roles at Anonymous Content, Viceland, and A&E, with credits spanning HBO, Hulu, Sundance, and Tribeca — Fred now bridges traditional storytelling and emerging AI technologies as an AI consultant to History and A+E Global Media among other Production Studio/ creator/ filmmaker clients. He’s Adjunct Professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts teaching AI for the MFA program, as well as Programming Director for LABASAD’s Online Masters for Creative AI, and also a Stanford Starling Lab Fellow researching synthetic media and provenance.
Erik Weaver is an Emmy-nominated producer, applied researcher, and founder and Chairman of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at USC's R&D Grant Program, the industry's largest short film award dedicated to advancing emerging production technologies. As Principal of AI & Emergent Media at ETC, he leads research at the intersection of virtual production, cloud workflows, and AI-powered filmmaking. Under his leadership, ETC has produced a series of pioneering films, including ChickaBOOM, a hybrid AI animated short that premiered at Tribeca Festival; Pathways, which explores hybrid AI and live-action production workflows; and The Bends, a fully generative AI film that was recorded back to 35mm film to explore the convergence of AI and traditional cinema. Most recently, ETC launched Terrarium, bringing together years of R&D into a unified hybrid production pipeline spanning development through final delivery. His work focuses on building scalable, studio-ready AI workflows that preserve creative intent while empowering filmmakers with the next generation of production technology.
Tom Thudiyanplackal is a creative technologist and film producer whose career arc — from Bollywood production to Hollywood's AI-driven frontier — makes him one of the more unusual voices in the room at the intersection of physics, cinema, and applied machine intelligence. Founder of The How And The Why LLC (THAT-W) — thatw.online — he serves as an industry mentor and executive producer across USC's School of Cinematic Arts, Media Arts & Practice, and Entertainment Technology Center, where he leads AI pipeline integration and innovation strategies stress-tested on studio-funded MFA and PhD thesis productions. His current focus: building production-ready AI systems for high-end cinematic workflows — where the technology has to perform on set, not just in a deck.
More speakers to be announced, representing AI and creative technology, entertainment, investment, and the broader creative economy.
Come for the Conversation. Stay for the Dim Sum.
We'll gather at Taste of Beauty, West Hollywood’s plant-based fine dining destination, where plant-based dining is designed to feel indulgent, creative, and unexpected.
It’s an especially fitting setting for a conversation about craftsmanship, innovation, and how we decide what something is worth.
And because a signature DIMSUMX gathering always comes with something delicious to share, light plant-based dim sum will be served as we continue the conversation and connect around the table.
About DIMSUMX
DIMSUMX creates curated gatherings designed around meaningful conversation and unexpected connection.
The name dim sum is often translated as “touch the heart.”
AI may change the cost of making things.
Together, we’ll explore what the human touch is worth.
This event is part of #LATechWeek — a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
