Ronit Novak

(pronounced Ro-NEET)

Journalist • AI & Creativity Speaker • Founder, THE GRAIN

Ronit Novak is a creative and educator with more than 20 years of experience leading multimedia teams across editorial, advertising, and visual storytelling.

When artificial intelligence began transforming creative work, she saw that many artists and media professionals were unsure how to engage with it. The conversation was often polarized, either hype or fear, with very little space for thoughtful dialogue.

So she founded THE GRAIN, a platform that brings together artists, technologists, educators, and researchers through podcasts, essays, and live events to explore how AI is reshaping creativity and authorship.

Today, The Grain Foundation is a nonprofit organization that reaches creatives, industry leaders, students, and families around the world.

Ronit’s work centres on a human-first approach to artificial intelligence that protects creative agency and helps people collaborate with technology in ways that amplify, rather than replace, human creativity.

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Speaking

Ronit Novak is a speaker and moderator whose work explores artificial intelligence, creativity, media literacy, and the cultural impact of emerging technology.

She covers topics from AI and media literacy, creativity, education, and cultural impact across industries, genres and age groups.

Drawing from two decades in journalism, education, and creative strategy, Ronit leads keynote addresses, seminars, workshops and training. and is an expert panel moderator on a range of topics.

Book Ronit for your next event, panel, workshop, class, or podcast.

ENGAGEMENTS

EDUCATION
Instructor: Toronto District School Board. AI and Teens: Mental Health, Equity & Representation. March 2026
Guest Speaker. Using AI Without Losing Your Voice. Centennial College. November 2025
Guest Speaker. Using AI Without Losing Your Voice. University of Toronto, Scarborough. October 2025
Guest Speaker. Using AI Without Losing Your Voice. Sheridan University. February 2025

MEDIA & PODCASTS
Podcast Guest: AI and Media Literacy. MediaSmarts Talks. December 2025
Podcast Guest. Canadaland Podcast. Canada’s Media Landscape. August 2025
Podcast Guest. Canadaland Podcast. AI Minister Evan Solomon’s Strategy. August 2025
Podcast Guest. Broadcast Dialogue Podcast. November 2024
Podcast Guest. The Medium Is Messy. Not in Heaven Podcast. April 2024

INDUSTRY & CONFERENCES
Keynote Speaker: National Youth Summit on Episodic Disabilities and Employment. AI + The Future of Work. March 2026
Social Media Influencer. Elevate: Canada’s Tech and Innovation Festival. October 2025.
Keynote Speaker. Between Speed & Substance: AI in Evaluation. Canadian Evaluation Society, Ontario Chapter. October 2025
Guest Speaker. CTRL+SHIFT Creativity and AI Meetup. October 2025
Guest Speaker. AI’s Impact On The Commercial Photography Industry. FUZE Reps. July 2025
Social Media Influencer. Departure: Music, Art, Comedy, Tech. May 2025
Guest Speaker. Why Should I Worry About Rocking A Sinking Boat? Toronto Life, Maclean’s, SJC Media AI Committee. May 2025

JUDGING & REVIEWS
Judge. Alberta Magazine Awards. May 2025
Reviewer. Issues Portfolio Reviews. May 2025
Judge. Sheridan University Graduate Awards. April 2025

THE GRAIN EVENTS:
Panel Moderator: THE GRAIN.LOVE vs. AI: Why be lonely? February 2026
Panel Moderator. THE GRAIN. ADVERTISING vs. AI: How to Be Authentic Now. November 2025