This article analyzes Ireland’s emerging position as a global cultural policy case study, focusing on the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) program and its place within the national framework Culture 2025. While Ireland’s consensus-driven political system, strong arts advocacy networks, and history of support for artist income have enabled an ambitious, research-oriented basic income pilot, the article highlights deeper tensions within cultural policymaking. Drawing on Stephen Hadley’s concept of “cultural policy realism,” it argues that Ireland’s policies—despite their novelty—remain rooted in traditional, instrumentalist views of culture as an economic engine and national branding tool. By contrasting democratization of culture with cultural democracy, the piece situates Ireland’s model between innovation and reversion, emphasizing the need for sustained experimentation, critical evaluation, and more genuinely democratic approaches to cultural support.
This study advances Part II by translating Scopely’s strategy into an execution plan across three tracks - NPC innovation, intelligent monetization, and ethical LiveOps - supported by new evidence from a 1,159-response consumer survey, nine expert interviews (developers, influencers, and experiential professionals), and secondary industry research. Part I established the market context for AI’s disruptive potential and identified three priorities: live operations evolution, commerce optimization, and advanced player analytics. The goal of this phase is to pinpoint the highest-leverage AI applications that deepen gameplay engagement, convert payment resistance through demonstrated value, and safeguard community trust. Accordingly, Part II outlines actionable playbooks (context-aware NPCs and adaptive narratives), platform tactics (purchase-aligned mobile personalization and cross-play integration), and operational models (behavior-based matchmaking and transparency protocols) designed to drive scalable, technology-led growth while preserving the integrity of shared human play.
This study provides a comprehensive analysis for Scopely to enhance its position as a leader in interactive and mobile gaming, focusing on AI integration in live operations, in-game commerce, and player analytics. The research reveals the urgent need for gaming companies to navigate accelerated AI adoption and evolving player expectations for personalized experiences. The goal is to identify the most impactful AI applications over the next three years and strategies that maximize engagement and monetization while maintaining player trust. Significant to this goal is balancing innovation with ethical considerations, including data privacy and transparency, while recognizing AI's potential to enhance storytelling and create immersive experiences. Employing a mixed-methods approach with industry interviews, a survey of over 1,000 U.S. gamers, and secondary research, Part I establishes the foundation for understanding AI's transformative impact - setting the stage for Part II's empirical findings and strategic recommendations.
A daylight robbery at the Musée du Louvre in mid-October resulted in the theft of eight priceless pieces from the French Crown Jewels housed in the Galerie d’Apollon. The incident now serves as an in-depth analysis for arts leaders globally to confront not only external threats, like highly organized professional thieves, but also the complex, internal risk of compromised staff and the urgent need to re-evaluate their security posture, technological investment, and institutional accountability.
As immersive technologies redefine the live concert experience, artists and virtual idols alike are transforming how audiences engage with music. From Hatsune Miku’s “holographic” performances powered by projection and LED technologies to VR concerts by creators like BlackGryph0n and Gorillaz, extended reality (XR) is blurring the lines between physical and digital performance. This article explores the evolution of Vocaloid software, the artistry behind digital concerts, and the growing influence of augmented and virtual reality in live music. As AR and VR become more accessible, musicians and fans alike are discovering new ways to connect—reshaping what it means to perform, attend, and experience music in the digital age.
Generative AI in an art context raises a multitude of legal questions, one of the more important ones being, who owns the art? Is it the AI-tech company? The person who inputs the prompts? Some mysterious third party? More specifically, with the U.S. Copyright Office declaring that AI cannot be credited as an author on a piece of art, how does this change the legal landscape for the AI-curious and artists who already use AI as part of their creative process?
On Monday, the headlines were ablaze with President Biden’s executive order addressing safe, secure, and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. At 111 pages, the order offers a breadth of policy frameworks and standards creation that affect government operations and industry reporting. However, several areas of note have a direct potential impact on the work of artists and arts organizations: Watermarks of content authenticity, Copyright, and Labor.
AR artwork is moving away from dependence on commercial or scientific success and artists have more freedom to create place-based artworks without necessarily having permission or costly materials. As a result, artists are stepping into the AR public art space to tell stories, respond to inequity, and shift behavior for positive social impact.
The latest controversies surrounding TikTok are no secret: Biased algorithms, censored content, & intensive personal data collection to name a few. But how exactly are these controversies posing risks for users, and why should those involved in the arts industry care? Buckle in (especially YOU, arts marketers) because this may potentially change the future of social media and marketing moving forward.
The writing in this article is mainly based on opinion as I interpret the coverage of the testimony. The following commentary on the testimonies with links to the testimonies and relevant coverage. There are many, often heated, opinions on this topic and the hearing. Rather than simply explaining the facts of what occurred, for many people already know what occurred and I found it more beneficial to express my opinions on the case.
Technology has played a critical role in the film industry since its inception. Advances in the film industry are always closely related to technological advances in society, integrating them quickly into the filmmaking process. Almost every aspect of filmmaking, from pre-production to post-production, from digital cameras, editing software, sound and music, distribution, exhibition, and of course, special effects, has undergone major changes and has evolved over the last 190 years.
Contemporary, traditional film production involves building physical sets, scouting locations, and coordinating large crews and equipment, all of which can be time-consuming and expensive. To overcome some of these "problems" or “needs” was born what we know today as Virtual Production. Virtual production has and will be further enhanced by the opportunities afforded by artificial intelligence.
The successful future of the arts and arts organizations will include artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence operates in many spheres, from generative AI, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DALLe or VALLe, or OtterAI’s transcription tools to robots cleaning offices to machine learning algorithms. While the opportunities seem both endless and perhaps intimidating, strategic application of these tools can make a significant difference.
Artificial Intelligence is being experimented with in the world of theater, from playwriting in traditional theatre, musicals, and improv. It is also being used for scene design and as a creative collaborator and director. Can AI successfully produce on these fronts? What does this mean for the future of the industry?
Massive Software creates hordes of fantasy armies using Artificial Intelligence and in doing so it has changed the fantasy entertainment game. Their realism is largely due to fuzzy logic, a “way to create naturalistic and subtle behavior” that human viewers will interpret as realistic and powerful. This combined with emergent technology offers a wide array of opportunity for creators.
While Spotify has been a frontrunner in the AI field for a decade, its increased infusion of AI into its algorithmic content suggestions has put it into the spotlight with its ‘AI DJ.’ Consumers return again and again to Spotify largely for its enhanced personalization that few other streaming platforms can match. While AI is central to that personalization, it hasn’t surfaced without baggage and some consumer retaliation. It is also worth considering how this technology will further perpetuate algorithmic biases that disproportionately affect Black musicians.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been fundamental since the 1950s in game design and development, but a subset of AI called generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is now deployed in nearly all video games to create clever, responsive, or adaptive behaviors. This article examines the unique cases of Generative AI in 2 incredibly popular video games: The Sims 4 and Red Dead Redemption.
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.
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.
In late August, Jason Allen's AI-generated artwork "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial" took first place in the digital category at the Colorado State Fair. One critic called it "the death of artistry." But others, like Shelly Palmer, say if he crossed a line, "we’ve been walking up to the edge for decades." Allen himself believes AI-generated art will eventually become its own category.
Today, we're looking back at some of the ways AI has been incorporated into the visual arts realm.
