AI and Culture
In the cultural sector.
AI as a medium of artistic expression.
The integration of intelligent technology into the cultural domain and its implications.
The reconfiguration of the power dynamics between creators and intermediaries.
The need for policy recommendations.
Artificial Intelligence has become deeply rooted in not only the domains of science and technology but it also permeates various aspects of our society. From healthcare to public safety, and from education to cultural pursuits, the applications of AI offer vast potential in addressing the several challenges faced by humanity. The utilization of AI technologies holds the promise of revolutionizing how we approach complex issues, providing opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and innovation across various fields. As AI continues to develop, its integration into diverse sectors represents a shift in problem-solving approaches, signaling a future where human endeavors are enhanced by intelligent systems to promote greater societal well-being and progress.
The significance of AI within the cultural sector has expanded considerably, primarily driven by the widespread adoption of digital platforms for the distribution of cultural content. AI's role goes beyond mere content recommendation systems; it now encompasses various functions, such as generating artistic works through machine learning mechanisms, aiding in content production and editing, facilitating cultural mediation during guided tours, providing virtual assistant services to the public, organizing digital collections, and analysing data for audience mapping and promotional strategies.
Despite the profound impact of AI on cultural practices, there exists a noticeable absence of political and strategic attention devoted to this domain, along with a shortage of academic publications and research dedicated to exploring its implications and potential within the cultural sphere.
Throughout history, humanity has exhibited an enduring quest to promote the exchange of ideas, spanning from ancient writing systems to contemporary telecommunications. While innovations such as the printing press and television have played pivotal roles in this pursuit, it was the convergence of telephony and computing that truly enabled a major shift in information and communication technologies (ICT). This fusion set forth a new era, characterized by extraordinary levels of real-time, interactive communication on a global scale, thus prompting the beginning of the digital age.
Despite the myriad of challenges posed by the rapid evolution of ICT, they have simultaneously created unparalleled opportunities for cultural exchange, economic development, and global interconnectedness. By affording instant access to information and resources, ICT has emerged as essential instruments in advancing the sustainable development goals worldwide.
Furthermore, the transformative influence of ICT transcends mere economic and political spheres, extending into the domain of culture and creativity. The digital revolution has unleashed a huge surge of innovation in artistic expression, fundamentally altering the landscape of how cultural artifacts are created, consumed, and distributed.
AI stands at the forefront of this technological upheaval, not only increasing the capacity to process vast collection of data but also actively contributing to the generation of new ideas. As articulated by the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, AI replicates human intelligence and assumes a central role in shaping the distribution of ideas through its intricate algorithms and analysis of textual, auditory, and visual data.
Moreover, the concept of AI traces its origins from cultural depictions which gradually transitioned into the domain of technology. Throughout history, AI has been portrayed in various artistic forms, depicting autonomous entities such as cyborgs, automata, and androids. These representations often emphasized the performative aspect of these artificial beings, portraying them as exotic artifacts.
As technological advancements occurred, AI emerged as a medium for artistic expression. Pioneering artists like Nicolas Schöffer, Roy Ascott, and Gordon Pask drew inspiration from cybernetic principles to create works that could dynamically change based on computational processes. These early endeavours laid the groundwork for exploring AI's potential in fostering creativity and self-adaptation.
By the 1980s, conventional AI methodologies, influenced by the programming guidelines of Marvin Minsky and Seymour Papert, faced criticism for their limitations in addressing complex problems. Rodney Brooks, a roboticist, proposed a novel paradigm known as "new AI." This approach, inspired by the behaviour of living organisms, emphasized learning from experiences and making decisions in uncertain environments.
The onset of new AI represented a shift towards leveraging big data and adaptive algorithms. This approach empowered AI systems to gain insights from vast datasets and adjust their behaviour in response to changing circumstances. In summary, the trajectory of AI's evolution from a cultural concept to a technological medium reflects its ongoing exploration and adaptation to meet the evolving societal demands.
Since then, artists have utilized artificial intelligence to create artworks that probe into the societal and cultural implications of this technology. One notable example is ImageNet Roulette, developed by Trevor Paglen and Kate Crawford, which illuminates the subjective nature of data classification and the biases inherent in AI-driven decision-making processes.
Similarly, Joy Buolamwini's Gender Shades project highlights the racial and gender biases ingrained in facial recognition systems. By demonstrating the inaccuracies of these systems in identifying black women due to their underrepresentation in training datasets, Buolamwini underscores the necessity for more inclusive and equitable AI development practices.
Another example is Philipp Schmitt's "techno-solutionism" which examines AI-designed objects lacking functional support highlighting the complexities of our reliance on AI in daily life, particularly in surveillance and automated environments. Schmitt's performance as a "human Alexa" further blurs the boundaries between human and AI interaction, prompting questions about autonomy and control.
Recent technological advancements have also led to AI becoming a subject of cultural expression across various art forms. From Harold Cohen's AARON algorithm generating original drawings to Benjamin, an AI screenwriter, contributing to the short film Sunspring with poetic flair, AI is increasingly being integrated into creative processes.
The use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to produce artworks like the Portrait of Edmond Belamy and algorithms like code2pixels generating digital images further showcases AI's potential as a tool for artistic expression. Painting robots like Botto and Sophia, as well as AI-driven music composition tools like Amper Music, are expanding the boundaries of creativity and challenging traditional notions of authorship and creativity.
The first AI-composed musical, Beyond the Fence, brought to the stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber, shows the growing influence of AI in cultural production. As AI continues to evolve, its role in shaping artistic expression and cultural discourse will undoubtedly become even more significant.
The integration of intelligent technology into the cultural domain represents a significant milestone. However, the profound impact of the intersection between AI and culture extends beyond mere technological advancement; it fundamentally reshapes the social dynamics that underpin artistic and creative endeavours. This transformation encompasses various stages, from the initial capture and encoding of cultural expressions as inputs for AI systems to the subsequent generation and distribution of novel expressions through AI algorithms.
This cyclic process brings about significant changes in the relationships between creators and their communities by introducing innovative modes of engagement, production, and sharing of ideas. Traditional barriers across the entire value chain of arts and creative industries are dismantled, resulting in the emergence of dynamic, inclusive, and interactive cultural ecosystems. Nonetheless, there is a risk that these ecosystems may accidentally foster echo chambers, isolating individuals and ideas from diverse perspectives.
The impact of the interaction between AI and culture is also evident in global acculturation processes enabled by transnational platforms, which harness Big Data and operate with extraordinary speed. This raises ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in cultural contexts, as well as potential impacts on the working conditions of creative professionals.
The UNESCO Global Report "Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity" and the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence both recognize the vast potential of AI in enriching cultural experiences while acknowledging the accompanying challenges. As society grapples with the impacts of this transformative relationship, it is important to approach these developments with a critical lens, ensuring the preservation of creativity, diversity, and ethical principles.
Acknowledging the substantial influence of culture on socio-economic development, it becomes necessary to strategically incorporate it into both domestic and international development policies and collaborative endeavours. Beyond the economic significance of arts and creative industries, this sector also fosters innovation, competitiveness, entrepreneurialism, resilience, and social inclusivity. However, its true value lies in its innate role as a cornerstone of human dignity and a medium for the expression of values and identities.
When navigating the integration of AI into cultural realms, it is important to adopt a humanistic perspective. Such an approach should prioritize cultural diversity and empower human creativity, thereby ensuring that technological progress amplifies rather than diminishes the richness and diversity of cultural expressions.
The UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics (2009) provides a comprehensive overview of the cultural sector's value chain, defining its various stages from inception to consumption. Within this framework, AI has emerged as a transformative force, exerting significant influence across all stages and fundamentally altering the roles of cultural stakeholders. Indeed, AI has revolutionized the processes involved in both the creation and dissemination of cultural content.
In the sphere of cultural creation and production, AI serves as a catalyst for innovation, streamlining workflows and liberating creators from mundane tasks. This technological advancement reduces reliance on human expertise while facilitating the rapid generation of novel cultural artifacts. For example, in the field of visual arts, AI technologies automate a multitude of tasks including image search, recognition (including facial recognition), analysis, pattern identification, classification, retouching, and editing. Similarly, within the field of music, accessible AI applications empower creators to assume roles traditionally occupied by studios, sound engineers, and distributors. Moreover, AI enhances the development of video games by enabling the creation of dynamic and purposeful behaviours in artificial players.
The consequence of AI's integration into the cultural value chain is the proliferation of new cultural products and services, spanning digital art, virtual performances, interactive games, influencer content, and even digital renditions of physical products designed for use within virtual environments. Consequently, AI's incorporation has not only revolutionized the processes by which cultural content is generated and disseminated but has also opened up new avenues for cultural expression and engagement.
The advancements in AI-driven cultural creation have raised significant questions regarding the attribution of ownership. When algorithms utilize data from diverse sources, the issue of who should be credited for the resulting creations becomes important. This complexity is further compounded by the emergence of deepfake technology, which enables the generation of content featuring deceased individuals using their previous works.
In response to these challenges, several countries have adapted their legal frameworks to accommodate digital creation. For instance, the United States, China, and Australia have updated their laws to permit small startups, universities, and research centres to utilize digital databases for training algorithms. These databases often contain a plethora of content spanning texts, music, paintings, photographs, films, and even personal attributes such as voices and faces.
Nevertheless, the issue of royalties and licensing for the commercial utilization of this data remains a controversial subject. Furthermore, countries are competing with the task of attributing copyright to digital and artificial creators. Notably, the French association of musicians has granted composer status to AIVA, a music composition tool driven by AI. This decision paves the way for users of such tools to claim copyrights for the works they produce with them.
To safeguard intellectual property rights, recognition algorithms are being developed to oversee the usage of digital content and deter unauthorized exploitation. However, concern remains regarding the potential implications of these measures on freedom of expression, particularly in scenarios involving parody or creative adaptation. Consequently, the legal landscape surrounding intellectual property rights in the digital era remains in a state of flux and uncertainty.
Additionally, while advancements in AI hold potential to boost creators' earnings, they also pose a threat to the livelihoods of skilled technicians and the quality of cultural content. Increased automation could reduce human involvement in the creative process, potentially obscuring ethical considerations and biases that shape artistic output. Thus, it is important to uphold ethical standards to ensure an inclusive and equitable portrayal of society through arts and creative endeavours.
The advent of digital technologies has brought about profound changes in how cultural goods and services are accessed and consumed. This transformation is characterized by a decrease in costs, an expansion of distribution channels, and the delivery of personalized content facilitated by AI. These advancements have not only transformed the way individuals interact with cultural products but have also strengthened the resilience of the cultural sector, particularly during periods of crisis.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these trends as cultural institutions swiftly adapted to the new circumstances. Museums, galleries, and cultural ministries worldwide turned to digital platforms to maintain visibility, promote their offerings, and sustain their operations. In China, more than 300 museums introduced virtual tours, allowing individuals to explore cultural artifacts and exhibitions from their homes. Similarly, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture utilized platforms such as YouTube to share cultural performances, reaching audiences beyond traditional physical venues.
Furthermore, initiatives like Japan's #MusicAtHome provided digital platforms for aspiring musicians to connect with their fans and continue sharing their art despite lockdowns and social distancing measures. This rapid adoption of digital tools not only helped offset financial losses for creators and traditional intermediaries but also opened up new avenues for cultural expression and engagement.
Consequently, e-commerce and online cultural education have witnessed significant growth, with virtual galleries and streaming services gaining popularity among audiences seeking immersive cultural experiences from the comfort of their homes. In essence, digital technologies have revolutionized the distribution and consumption of cultural goods while also playing a crucial role in ensuring the resilience and adaptability of the cultural sector in the face of unique challenges.
The emergence of personalized experiences represents a significant shift in the distribution and consumption of cultural products. This transformation can be attributed primarily to the advancements in AI technology, which facilitate the conversion of conventional linear narratives into interactive, immersive, and multimedia experiences. Within this evolving landscape, participants enjoy an unparalleled level of agency over their engagement with media content. They possess the ability to determine the sequence of events, manipulate perspectives, and control the tempo at which narratives unfold. As a result, the distinction between creator and consumer becomes increasingly blurred, as individuals are empowered to actively shape their storytelling encounters across diverse platforms.
In recent years, traditional cultural institutions such as museums, galleries, and libraries have increasingly utilized storytelling as a means of sharing their extensive collections with broader audiences. In addition, these institutions have adopted AI technologies to manage and curate their collections, as well as to enhance the overall visitor experience. Through the digitization of their collections and their online accessibility, these institutions have expanded opportunities for analysis, research, and educational endeavours.
Simultaneously, non-traditional actors, including search engines, recommendation systems, and social media platforms, have emerged as significant players in the cultural distribution landscape, fundamentally altering the ways in which creative content is distributed and consumed. These platforms leverage AI algorithms to personalize content recommendations and target users with offerings from creators. However, this development has prompted concerns regarding issues such as privacy, data protection, and the fairness of content promotion algorithms.
In short, the integration of AI into cultural distribution processes has resulted in a reconfiguration of power dynamics between creators and intermediaries. This shift has sparked debates surrounding ethical considerations, freedom of expression, and the preservation of cultural diversity within the digital domain.
Social media platforms offer creators a unique opportunity to engage with a global audience directly, transcending geographical boundaries. In addition to reaching potential consumers, these platforms facilitate continuous interaction throughout the entire creative process, from creation to consumption. Creators can leverage social media for various purposes, such as offering supplementary products and experiences, conducting market research, and implementing marketing strategies to amplify the value of their cultural offerings.
Furthermore, social media empowers audiences to actively participate in the creative process. Features like TikTok's Duets and Dots or Twitter's threads foster collaborative creativity, enabling users to build upon each other's ideas and content.
However, despite the advantages, utilizing social media for self-promotion comes with notable challenges. Creators must invest considerable time and resources in managing their online presence, making them susceptible to various forms of online abuse, harassment, and exploitation. Thus, while the benefits are evident, it is essential to acknowledge the emotional and financial toll associated with maintaining a social media presence.
Moreover, the impact of recommender systems is also multifaceted, as evident by the rise of Amazon and the introduction of e-readers. While these technologies have played a role in encouraging reading habits, they have also had several unintended consequences. Independent bookstores have faced closure, traditional sales of used books have been disrupted, and library services have been affected. However, there have also been positive outcomes, such as the emergence of opportunities for new authors through print-on-demand services.
In concentrated markets like event ticketing, music streaming, and movie/series subscriptions, dominant platforms like Ticketmaster, Spotify, Apple, and Netflix wield considerable influence. These intermediaries not only determine prices and service fees for creative products but also impact compensation for creators and traditional distribution channels. They may impose exclusivity agreements, limit access for smaller creators, capture advertising revenues, and confine consumers within closed ecosystems, thereby limiting their exposure to alternative cultural content. Consequently, the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity are at risk.
The current media landscape is heavily influenced by intermediary platforms, leading content creators to prioritize them over traditional channels. These platforms are focused on engaging their audiences for extended periods, which has resulted in the emergence of "emotion curation" and content formats specifically tailored for social media, such as short videos.
Intermediary platforms have increasingly utilized AI to go beyond content sharing and analyse user data for targeted influence. This transition towards predictive analytics has raised concerns regarding privacy, autonomy, and accountability, highlighting the significance of media and information literacy (MIL) among users.
Similarly, AI is being employed to improve accessibility to cultural content, particularly benefiting individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and international audiences. This includes the generation of subtitles, sign language, and translations to overcome access barriers. Many countries have implemented legislation to ensure digital content accessibility, fostering a more inclusive digital cultural market.
Given the intricate impacts of AI in culture and beyond, UNESCO advocates for the ROAM-X principles—human rights, system openness, accessibility, multi-stakeholder governance, and cross-cutting issues such as gender equality and user safety—as a framework for analysing its effects and crafting policies for its responsible advancement.
The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, approved in October 2021, aims to leverage the advantages of AI while mitigating its associated risks. It places emphasis on critical concerns such as transparency, accountability, and privacy, providing practical guidelines applicable across diverse sectors including education, culture, employment, economics, communication, and dissemination of information.
Despite the wide-ranging potential of AI, there exist notable discrepancies in infrastructure and institutional capabilities among nations. UNESCO's examination of 32 African countries underscored the necessity for effective policies and regulatory frameworks governing AI, particularly in areas concerning data protection, innovation, research and development capabilities, and ethical considerations. Safeguarding rights and liberties, such as freedom of expression, access to information, privacy, and public engagement, holds paramount importance for both AI and cultural policies.
The convergence of AI and culture constitutes a transformative influence, prompting nations worldwide to adopt or contemplate policy measures and regulatory adjustments. These endeavours tackle various facets including prevention of cybercrime, ensuring algorithmic accountability, enhancing platform transparency, fostering the promotion of local and national content, and facilitating support for digital creation by marginalized communities. To ensure inclusivity and efficiency, such reforms necessitate the involvement of multiple sectors and active engagement with ethnic groups, women, youth, and cultural stakeholders.
Therefore, recognizing the significant role played by digital technologies in shaping cultural dynamics is important, particularly in light of the role that these sectors play in fostering economic and social advancement.
Conclusion
We began today's discussion by examining how AI has become deeply rooted in various aspects of society, offering vast potential in addressing multifaceted challenges. Its integration into diverse sectors signifies a future where human endeavours are enhanced to promote societal well-being. Within the cultural sector, AI's role has expanded significantly, driving innovations in content generation, production, and distribution. Despite its profound impact, there's a noticeable absence of political and strategic attention devoted to this domain.
Throughout history, humanity has sought to promote the exchange of ideas, with ICT playing a pivotal role in enabling real-time, interactive communication on a global scale. Despite challenges, ICT has created unparalleled opportunities for cultural exchange and economic development. The digital revolution has fundamentally altered the landscape of cultural expression, with AI at the forefront of technological upheaval.
Moreover, AI's origins can be traced back to cultural depictions, gradually transitioning into a technological medium for artistic expression. Early pioneers laid the groundwork for exploring AI's potential in fostering creativity and self-adaptation. By leveraging big data and adaptive algorithms, new AI methodologies empower systems to gain insights and adjust behaviour.
Artists have utilized AI to probe societal and cultural implications, highlighting biases ingrained in AI-driven decision-making processes. Technological advancements have led to AI becoming a subject of cultural expression across various art forms, challenging traditional notions of authorship and creativity.
The integration of AI into cultural realms represents a significant milestone, reshaping social dynamics and reconfiguring power dynamics between creators and intermediaries. Despite challenges surrounding intellectual property rights and ethical considerations, AI has revolutionized the distribution and consumption of cultural goods.
And finally, Policy measures and regulatory adjustments are necessary to support the arts and creative industries in the digital landscape. Addressing deficiencies in data access and promoting inclusivity and efficiency in policy development are crucial steps in leveraging the transformative potential of AI in cultural domains.