“AI started unlocking a creative portal of stories I didn’t even know I had in me.” Elettra Fiumi

In this episode of 15 with Fosca, I’m joined by filmmaker, educator, and AI expert Elettra Fiumi for a wide-ranging conversation about artificial intelligence, creativity, education, storytelling, and the future of work.

Rather than treating AI as something abstract, threatening, or distant, Elettra makes a compelling case for engaging with it directly: learning the tools, experimenting hands-on, and understanding both their risks and their extraordinary potential. She explains why AI literacy is now essential, why fear is holding so many people back, and why the most important thing we can do is stop talking about AI in the abstract and start using it in practical, thoughtful ways.

The conversation also explores how AI can transform education by supporting different learning styles, encouraging curiosity, and giving students more agency. Elettra shares how tools like NotebookLM and custom GPTs can help people learn better, work smarter, and personalize the way they interact with information.

For creatives, this episode is especially fascinating. Elettra discusses how AI has expanded her own filmmaking practice, unlocked new kinds of storytelling she hadn’t imagined for herself before, and even helped her reshape footage in post-production for a recent Patagonia project. She speaks candidly about motherhood, artistic identity, the emotional dimensions of technology, and why AI, at its best, can be a profound creative partner.

This is not a conversation about replacing human beings, it’s a conversation about expanding human potential. AI is not just a technology story, it’s a human story, and those who learn to engage with it thoughtfully, creatively, and courageously are the ones who will help shape what comes next.

Biography

Elettra Fiumi is a Florentine-born AI filmmaker, documentary director, and educator based in Lugano, Switzerland. She is the founder and CEO of Fiumi Studios, a boutique creative studio specializing in documentaries, branded content, and AI filmmaking. Her documentary "Radical Landscapes" premiered at DOC NYC and aired on RAI as "Radical Love," and her AI short film "Mamma Robot" won four international awards. Her latest film, "Alma Robot," created under the mentorship of Paolo Sorrentino, is forthcoming. Elettra holds Creative Partner relationships with leading AI platforms including Runway, Leonardo, ElevenLabs, and Seedance / Dreamina. She is an Adjunct Professor at Franklin University Switzerland, where she teaches AI for Cinema, and has taught at universities, film festivals, and museums worldwide. Elettra holds an M.Sc. in Digital Media from Columbia University, a B.A. with Honors from Mount Holyoke College, and a Master's in AI for Business from the Italian Tech Academy. She is the custodian of the 9999 Archive, the legacy of her late father's radical architecture collective active in Florence in the late 1960s and 70s. She co-leads Machine Cinema Women and co-hosts the Machine Cinema podcast.

Links

https://fiumistudios.com/elettra-fiumi/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elettrafiumi/

https://substack.com/@aicinema

https://www.instagram.com/efiumi/

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Podcast Producer: Andrew Niklas Curtis

Production Intern: Nicole Stevens

Recording and post-production Lorenzo Maiani, Faminore Sound Agency

The Human Side of AI featuring Elettra Fiumi