Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, museums
Staff Researcher
Envisioning the Future of Museum Accessibility ...

With AI’s ability to automatically produce content and process complicated datasets with high accuracy, museums worldwide are exploring ways in which this innovative technology can help them better achieve their missions and advance accessibility efforts. Through case studies, learn about three applications of this technology: content digitalization, language accessibility, and visual description.

Envisioning the Future of Museum Accessibility Through Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence, Public Policy, News & Announcements
Ian Hawthorne
October News: New Policies and Possibilities ...

October was filled with new debates on AI policies, a halt to one of the most significant AI safety bills in the United States, and a host of new AI developments in video, music, and even podcasts.

October News: New Policies and Possibilities for AI
Data, Fundraising, Marketing
Ian Hawthorne
Data Cultures Part I: The Many Markets of Arts ...

Arts and cultural nonprofits often operate in multiple markets for earned and contributed revenue. With increasing attention on data-driven decision making, effective market orientation often depends on effective data use. This fundamental collection, transmission, use, and interpretation of data within an organization collectively contributes to what can be considered an organization’s data culture.

Data Cultures Part I: The Many Markets of Arts Organizations
Advocacy, Community Building, Public Policy
Ian Hawthorne
Democracy on Display: The Dynamic Role of Art ...

Museums have increasingly begun to volunteer their spaces as polling places, acting as a democratic vehicle for their communities and adding to the greater fabric of America’s election infrastructure. In doing so, they can support local democratic processes and prove to their communities that they are not unbreachable temples for the elite, but open platforms for the people.

Democracy on Display: The Dynamic Role of Art Museums in Elections
Artificial Intelligence, entertainment, Film
Staff Researcher
Part I: A New Era of AI in the Entertainment ...

As exemplified by the Hollywood strikes of 2023, we find ourselves in a new era of Artificial  Intelligence in film and television. While studios are looking to cut costs, performers seek job security, and consumers seek quality content. Through research conducted in collaboration with facial motion capture technology provider Faceware Technologies Inc., Master of Entertainment Industry Management students at Carnegie Mellon sought to gain insight on how AI-generated content will transform existing industries, including how this technology could affect employment in the entertainment industry, content development,  budgets, contracts, legislation, and privacy rights.

Part I: A New Era of AI in the Entertainment Industry

NFTs

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July News: Arts Leaders Face Big Questions on AI and Privacy

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July News: Arts Leaders Face Big Questions on AI and Privacy

How can AI and blockchain play a functional role in arts and cultural organizations? At Christie’s 8th Annual Art + Tech Summit, top arts leaders gathered to address this question and more. While companies race to integrate the latest technology, uses may not align with consumer demand or practical need. With eyes on the creative industry’s next steps, companies must consider ethics of the AI tools they implement. For Disney, this resulted in a “hacktivist” cyber attack, leaking more than 1 TB of company data in protest of AI artwork policies. Meanwhile, individuals must take more responsibility in protecting their own data privacy as Google Chrome once again takes back promise to eliminate third-party cookies. Read more about this month’s news below.

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How NFTs Have Changed the Creator Economy

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How NFTs Have Changed the Creator Economy

Content creators have thrived on Web2 platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter. However, with the latest addition of platforms such as Twitch and Patreon, curating content has been enhanced by enabling direct creator-to-fan content and new methods of monetization. The implementation of Web3 technologies, more specifically non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are revolutionizing the way creators distribute content, claim ownership, and monetize work.

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In the News: April 2023

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In the News: April 2023

Technologies like artificial intelligence and NFTs continue to break into new industries this April. The United States government licensed ChatGPT, dancers paired with robots, and music industry leaders have been taking a stand on AI-made music. We are in the midst of figuring out where these technologies fit into our lives, and how they will change our industries. Feelings of uneasiness continue. The following stories illustrate a variety of viewpoints on the ways in which technology has been integrated into new and unique settings as of late.

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In the News: December 2022

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In the News: December 2022

2022 was a year of major changes in the world of tech in the arts. To close out the year with the AMT Lab December news recap, we compiled stories based on the top themes of 2022. Some major headlines involved AI ownership ethics, social media controversies, crypto crashes, and the future of NFTs.

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In the News: October 2022

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In the News: October 2022

As issues surrounding AI and NFTs continue to come to light, conversations about ethical uses of technology become more complex. This month, we are taking a look at stories that address the issues of data privacy in AI technology, the ongoing legal battlefield of NFTs, and digital strategies in theatre.

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In the News: September 2022

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In the News: September 2022

In the past month, AI has been dominating arts news. As its role as a collaborator and partner in visual art projects grows in popularity, many question its ethics and even object to its use in the arts entirely. There’s no doubt of its benefit in certain contexts. For instance, in the area of cultural preservation projects, which may take humans much longer if unassisted by the technology. But, understandably so, there also seems to be a looming fear in the artist community that it will displace human artists. Many object to even calling AI-generated or AI-assisted art “art.” While the future is uncertain concerning the legality and ownership of such “artwork,” these conversations are important to have. And it is vital to stay informed on the various issues involving AI in art, both good and bad, to see how the law adapts.

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POAPs: Audience Engagement and Memorabilia in the Web3 Era

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POAPs: Audience Engagement and Memorabilia in the Web3 Era

The average theater-goer walks into a performance with their ticket stub freshly procured from the box office. An usher hands them a playbill as they find their seat. Both items are unique to the time and place of the event, and available only to those physically in attendance at the performance. These forms of memorabilia offer audiences collectible, tangible tokens to commemorate an arts experience. However, today it is common practice to take a picture of the stage from one’s seat with playbill in hand to post on social media and store in the cloud, transforming a physical token of memorabilia into a digital one.

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In the News: July 2022

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In the News: July 2022

July has been a whirlwind of a month at the intersection of art and technology. From possible successful legislation on data privacy in the US, to the Italian government putting its foot down on NFT sales, or just an AI making uncanny valley art that is starting to get a little too real, a lot has happened in the world. The spread of articles below give a glimpse into a small portion of the interesting events that have occurred this month!

The Cryptocurrency Crash

The Cryptocurrency Crash

The cryptocurrency market is in turmoil, mirroring both the U.S. stock market and the emotional state of many of its citizens. Though some crypto investors have found astronomical financial success, skeptics have long voiced concerns about the volatility and inherent peril of pursuing such investments. These naysayers have ground to stand on given the instability of Spring 2022, as more than “$700 billion has been wiped out” from the crypto-economy, entire currencies have collapsed, and related companies and market exchanges are scrambling in response to the downturn.

NFTs: Digital Renaissance or Death Knell of Traditional Art?

NFTs: Digital Renaissance or Death Knell of Traditional Art?

The hype around non-fungible tokens (NFTs) seems to be reaching a fever pitch. With news of certain digital art pieces selling for tens of millions of dollars and conjecture about what utility these tokens may have outside of the art world, for better or for worse, Web3 has arrived. These technological developments are not just demonstrating a technological evolution, though. They are also creating massive disruption across the visual art industry. The advent of NFTs is spurring a digital r