Creative Storytelling with AI

Creative Storytelling with AI was the second workshop of a two-part creative writing and storytelling programme conducted by Kaivalya Plays Foundation at Jaspal Kaur Public School, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in India, as part of the wider James Joyce in India initiative and Bloomsday celebrations.

The programme was designed for students in Grades IX–XII and used James Joyce's Dubliners as a starting point for exploring identity, aspiration, migration, belonging and personal experience. Day 1 focused on storytelling and stream-of-consciousness writing, with students developing short narratives rooted in their own experiences. Day 2 built on these stories by introducing AI-assisted creative practice and asking students to consider how their written narratives could be expanded into other media.

The session began with an introduction to the ethical considerations involved in using AI for creative work. Students explored questions of authorship, bias and originality, considering what happens when an AI system becomes part of the process of creating a story. The workshop emphasised that AI should be approached as a tool that can augment creative expression rather than replace the student's own ideas, perspective and authorship.

Students then worked with freely accessible digital and AI tools to reinterpret their written stories across different formats, including video, audio and visual outputs. This practical component encouraged students to make deliberate creative choices about how their stories might change when translated from written text into another medium. They were encouraged to consider not only what the technology could produce, but why a particular tool, format or intervention might be appropriate for their story.

The workshop concluded with a period of reflection on the creative decisions made during the process. This was an important part of the programme, allowing students to critically consider their relationship with the technology and the distinction between using AI to generate content and using it as part of an intentional creative process.

Following the two workshops, students were given an additional week to refine their projects and submit a short written story alongside an AI-assisted creative output in video, audio or visual form. Submissions were jointly reviewed by Kaivalya Plays and Jaspal Kaur Public School, with ten works shortlisted for sharing with the Embassy of Ireland. Three final works were recognised in association with Bloomsday.

The programme was designed to develop students' creative writing and digital literacy while introducing them to ethical questions surrounding emerging technologies. It also connected their own experiences with an international literary and cultural context, using Joyce's work and the wider Bloomsday programme as a bridge between Irish literary heritage, contemporary Indian student experiences and new forms of digital storytelling.