Ronit Novak

(pronounced Ro-NEET)

Journalist • AI & Creativity Speaker • Founder, THE GRAIN

Ronit Novak is a creative leader and educator with more than 20 years of experience working across editorial media, 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 often felt polarized, hype on one side, fear on the other, with very little space for thoughtful dialogue.

As Founder and Editorial Director, she established THE GRAIN to create that space.

Today, The Grain Foundation is a nonprofit organization that brings together artists, technologists, educators, and researchers through podcasts, essays, and live events, exploring how AI is reshaping creativity and authorship in real time.

Ronit’s work focuses on a human-first approach to AI, grounded in creative agency, authorship, and the role of judgment in an increasingly automated world. She explores the ethical and cultural questions emerging from these shifts, including accountability, value, and what it means to make creative work now.

Speaking

Recent engagements include Elevate Festival, Toronto District School Board, University of Toronto, MediaSmarts, and Canadian Evaluation Society.

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

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

Drawing from two decades of experience 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.

Ronit speaks with educators, creative professionals, students, and organizations navigating the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence.

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

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Selected Collaborations

SELECTED 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
Live Radio Guest: Pleasure and Peril of AI and Music. CBC Blue Sky. April 2026.
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
Roundtable Leader: Creative Agency: Is there a photograph AI can’t make?Issues Photographer Roundtables. May 2026
Panelist: Photojournalism and AI in the ‘Post-Truth’ Era. Globe & Mail Foundation Photojournalism Summit. May 2026
Keynote Speaker: National Youth Summit on Episodic Disabilities and Employment. AI + The Future of Work. March 2026
Accredited Media. 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
Accredited Media. Departure: Music, Art, Comedy, Tech. May 2025
Guest Speaker.Why Should I Worry About Rocking A Sinking Boat?TorontoLife, Maclean’s, SJC Media AI Committee. May 2025

JUDGING & REVIEWS
Reviewer. Issues Portfolio Reviews. May 2026
Judge. Alberta Magazine Awards. May 2026
Judge. Sheridan University Graduate Awards. April 2025
Reviewer. Issues Portfolio Reviews. May 2025
Judge. Alberta Magazine Awards. May 2025

THE GRAIN EVENTS:
Host & Speaker: THE GRAIN. TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD: Revisiting Restrepo. April 2026
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