Laws & Legal, Artificial Intelligence, Public Policy, Extended Reality
Staff Researcher
Building Digital Guardrails: Toward a ...

As immersive technologies merge with AI-driven platforms, the boundaries between physical and digital life are rapidly dissolving - bringing new ethical, legal, and safety challenges into focus. This article examines the history of virtual harm in online and XR environments, from early text-based worlds to contemporary VR gaming and performance spaces, and argues for a privacy-first framework as the foundation for immersive safety. By analyzing legal gaps, platform accountability, and global policy efforts, it proposes digital “guardrails” that prioritize user dignity, data protection, and well-being as core design principles rather than afterthoughts.

Building Digital Guardrails: Toward a Privacy-First Framework for Immersive Safety
Blockchain, Digital Futures, Emerging Technology
Staff Researcher
Blockchains or Pawprints? Furries as a ...

This article explores the intersection of digital art, NFTs, and community governance through the lens of the furry fandom, a decentralized community of artists and enthusiasts. With the rise of NFTs, the ability to authenticate digital art and protect creators' work has become a critical concern. The study examines the resistance within the furry community to adopt NFTs, highlighting their reliance on community-based trust and governance over "trustless" blockchain systems. While some see potential in NFTs to safeguard intellectual property, many furries are skeptical, valuing social trust and ethics over commercialization. By studying the furry subculture's approach to art ownership and the challenges they face, the article poses larger questions about the future of NFTs and blockchain technology in creative spaces.

Blockchains or Pawprints? Furries as a case-study for understanding digital art provenance through NFTs and community governance
Arts & Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Futures, Emerging Technology, Marketing, Research, Podcast
Brett Ashley Crawford, Ph.D.
The Future is Now: Our Most-Read Articles and ...

As technology continues to reshape the arts and entertainment landscape, our readers and listeners have shown a clear appetite for understanding these transformations. From AI's role in creative processes to the evolution of virtual reality and streaming, this year's most popular content reveals the questions on everyone's minds.

The Future is Now: Our Most-Read Articles and Most-Downloaded Podcasts of the Year
creative industries, Film, entertainment, Arts & Technology
Staff Researcher
Behind the LED Wall: Technology, Labor, and ...

This article explores the rise of virtual production (VP) and its impact on contemporary filmmaking through the use of large-scale LED volumes that merge physical sets with real-time digital environments. Using high-profile productions such as The Mandalorian and 1899 as case studies, it examines how VP reshapes creative workflows across departments, redistributes labor rather than eliminating it, and demands new hybrid skill sets from designers, location managers, and technicians. The piece also addresses the role of labor unions and training programs in adapting to emerging technologies, alongside the economic challenges of scalability, access, and high upfront costs. Ultimately, the article positions virtual production as a transformative - yet uneven - evolution in the entertainment industry, emphasizing the need for equitable training and infrastructure as VP becomes a lasting mode of production.

Behind the LED Wall: Technology, Labor, and Economics in Virtual Production
Extended Reality, Digital Futures, Arts & Technology
Staff Researcher
Extending Reality in Actor Training: Benefits, ...

This article explores how extended reality (XR) - including augmented, mixed, and virtual reality - is reshaping acting training by layering immersive technologies onto long-established methods like Stanislavski-based technique and the Method. Drawing on examples from Basrah to Juilliard and Odin Teatret, the piece shows how XR can deepen character work, expand dramaturgical research, and personalize feedback through data-driven simulations. At the same time, it raises urgent legal, ethical, and social questions around biometric data, FERPA and HIPAA protections, digital Blackface, and harassment in virtual spaces. Rather than treating XR as a magic solution, the article argues that thoughtful pedagogy, clear institutional policies, and equity-minded design are essential if these tools are to support - not replace - human-centered theatre education.

Extending Reality in Actor Training: Benefits, Repercussions, & Legal Implications
, ,

Technology Connecting ICH Motivations and Safeguarding Responsibilities

, ,
Technology Connecting ICH Motivations and Safeguarding Responsibilities

In an increasingly virtual work environment, digital technology is becoming a standard tool for creative industries. Cultural heritage work is no different. A broad variety of tools are being used to safeguard cultural heritage sites and objects, from partnering 3D modeling, drones and artificial intelligence for a preservation project on the Great Wall of China, to virtual reality being used to replicate and recreate the Dunhuang Caves. With the growing attention for intangible cultural heritage (ICH), it is important to explore what digital tools are being used for fulfilling intangible cultural heritage safeguarding responsibilities and what opportunities exist for other projects and their practitioners.

Theatre Collaboration Technology: A Blue Ocean to Explore

Theatre Collaboration Technology: A Blue Ocean to Explore

Theatre production collaboration has long been an analog, face-to-face process. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many theaters moved to innovative, online production models. Without the ability to meet in person, the meta processes of production had to shift online too, and theaters were forced to contend with a new landscape of production possibilities. Now that theaters have proven that they can produce in digital formats, what would happen if they approached opportunities for digital collaboration with intention and care?

,

NFT Showdown: Miramax vs. Tarantino

,
NFT Showdown: Miramax vs. Tarantino

There is ongoing legal debate around Quentin Tarantino's latest project, an exclusive behind-the-scenes NFT collection based on the 1994 Miramax blockbuster hit "Pulp Fiction," published in December 2021 on Opensea by SCRT Labs. A California lawsuit will determine whether Tarantino's plan is too cavalier, and whether Miramax should receive a cut of the sale. Today’s NFT world is governed by crude and antiquated laws surrounding copyright and trademark ownership. Hopefully this lawsuit establishes new legal boundaries and guidelines for future cases. In the meantime, NFT collectors should stay wary of ambiguous claims and unclear terms.

Maximizing Concert Experiences Through AR & VR

Maximizing Concert Experiences Through AR & VR

The application of Virtual and Augmented reality in music has been around for a while. From collaborative creation and interactive music videos to its incorporation in art museums, it seems as if the arts industry is competing with itself to enhance the audience experience. As concerts are a highly user-oriented experience, these technologies have started gaining more traction in the live music space. The demand for interactive and immersive experiences has called for innovative models to be incorporated within music. Thus, the application of such models is added to the concert experience with the implementation of VR and AR technologies to help maximize its interactivity.

,

Declining Super Bowl Viewership: Will it Maintain Most-Watched Event of the Year?

,
Declining Super Bowl Viewership: Will it Maintain Most-Watched Event of the Year?

While the Super Bowl has managed to remain the most-watched live event of the year, it has not managed to maintain its robust viewership numbers in the age of cord-cutting and media saturation. Despite the trend of lower viewership, there is one instance that raises audience interest, but it remains outside of the NFL’s direct control: too-close-to-call games. Thus, there is the possibility that viewership has decreased simply due to an increase in uninteresting games in the past few years. If there’s anything the many close games this past football season, and subsequent increase in viewership, can teach us, it’s that viewers enjoy watching competitions that are truly anyone’s game.

What We Should Know About Current Interactive Films

What We Should Know About Current Interactive Films

The dilemma of interactive films, feeling as if you are in control when you actually are not, is part of the reason why they are yet to become mainstream in entertainment, especially compared to interactive games. This article attempts to open this discussion by examining theoretical frameworks as well as a comparative case study. As the major concern lies in the disruption of the audience’s engagement, potential future options can be VR or implicit interactions (making choices through the user’s implicit activity) to provide a more engaging process. When the hype for this innovative technology wears off, the core of the films will still be their stories. After all, it’s about storytelling.

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

Since the 1980s, it has been industry practice to measure the number of viewers consuming films and television. These measures affect the industry in multiple ways, from advertising sales to cultivating future viewers, and often contribute to the project’s success. As streaming continues to pivot the entertainment industry, other services will begin to release viewership data in a similar fashion. This crucial step in releasing streaming viewership data has the potential to set a new dawn for streaming services: one where data and transparency lead the way into a more informed and impactful industry.

Art-Making & Storytelling for Social Good in VR

Art-Making & Storytelling for Social Good in VR

Those who have a vested interest in the arts are often curious: how is art impacting its audiences? The Americans for the Arts Arts + Social Impact Explorer presents ten categories for how art can impact the people in its communities, and it is the ultimate challenge of arts organizations to build innovative programs that improve their reach in all ten. To measure impact against this challenge, organizations may analyze ticket sales, subscriptions, donations, and audience surveys. Between income spreadsheet lines, however, there are more questions about how to improve engagement, and – central to this piece – when and how to incorporate new technologies into classic offerings to boost innovation.

Using VR & AR in Live Music

Using VR & AR in Live Music

Virtual Reality technology puts the user in a computer-generated environment, allowing them to interact with simulated elements via a headset. On the other hand, Augmented reality incorporates elements that are generated, be it visual, audio, or other sensory elements into the real world via technology. AR technology lets the user position his or her smartphone to a point in the physical world and bring it to life by adding virtual components via this technology.

, ,

Expanding our Live Streaming Future: Refining and Developing New Arts & Entertainment Experiences

, ,
Expanding our Live Streaming Future: Refining and Developing New Arts & Entertainment Experiences

Livestreaming has become a burgeoning global industry, recording eight billion hours of content watched in the last quarter of 2020 (May, 2021). This research projects examines the industry before the COVID-19 pandemic, how it evolved during the pandemic, and its future opportunities. From October to December 2020, over eight billion combined hours of content were watched as livestreams on the top three largest platforms, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live (May, 2021). Using data from industry leader interviews, a national survey, and case studies the team reveals the power and current technology limitations to livestreaming for the live entertainment industry.

Theatrical Livestreaming: Fostering the Next Generation of TheatreMakers

Theatrical Livestreaming: Fostering the Next Generation of TheatreMakers

In my previous AMT-Lab article, Livestreaming And Live Theatre: A Promising New Industry, I presented the data and specifics of the current livestreaming market as a whole. During this research, I found that livestreaming viewership set record highs in 2020. Not only was livestreaming able to grow during the initial impact of the pandemic, but this interest was maintained throughout 2020 and into 2021. Livestreaming, as an industry, grew by 81% in 2020. The large potential for market utilization is undeniable. Most importantly, however, is that livestreaming theatrical events offer a level of access and opportunity to arts and cultural events that have yet to be capitalized.

Open Access and Why it Matters in the Museum Space

Open Access and Why it Matters in the Museum Space

Amidst Covid-19, many museums moved to sharing collections and exhibitions virtually. However, even before Covid, museums began sharing their collections in a virtual, accessible manner with Open Access. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 cultural heritage institutions world-wide have published some or all of their collections with Open Access usage. While Open Access exists in other industries, such as in libraries, this article focuses on the context of Open Access in the museum space.

, , , ,

2021 Top 10 Most-Read Articles

, , , ,
2021 Top 10 Most-Read Articles

As we welcome 2022 for myriad reasons, be sure to catch up on what you missed in 2021 by reading out top 10 most read articles. Surprisingly (or not), while the last year continued to show interest in covid’s impact on technology and work, our readers were curious about a broad set of content — from NFTs to using technology to track dance. Which of these articles did you read, or miss?

,

Why Interactive Films Are Not A Success...Yet

,
Why Interactive Films Are Not A Success...Yet

Motion picture companies in recent years are blurring the line between film and video games, bringing technical practices that have been adopted by interactive video games for many years. With the drift of film history into greater realism and higher audience immersion interests, interactive films that make compromises for the audience to take control are emerging. Filmmakers use different new-media technologies such as Eko Studio and Wirewax to engage an audiences’ interaction, but the medium is still so young that more extensive research is needed. This research examines the differences between the engagement models of interactive films and video games to identify the reasons why interactive films do not obtain a larger market.

,

Cryptocurrencies in Indie Film Economics

,
Cryptocurrencies in Indie Film Economics

Streaming technology in the last decade has rebuilt the structure of film revenue models. Motion pictures now earn revenue through a network of internet-based over-the-top (OTT) content distributors, reaching worldwide audiences by partnering with multiple streaming platforms. More recently, the Covid-era decline in theatrical film distribution has led to a purely OTT distribution model, and a complete reliance on internet-based revenue. In the future, advancements in blockchain technology are expected to disrupt and further redesign the film distribution waterfall. Ambitious filmmakers should have a clear understanding of how revenue distribution waterfalls work before they tackle a blockchain-based film production.

,

How Art and Technology Can Work Together to Facilitate Healing

,
How Art and Technology Can Work Together to Facilitate Healing

When it comes to the widely discussed topic of mental health, the arts have proven to play a significant role in healing. In fact, artists and scientists have been researching impacts of art on the brain and body for nearly 75 years. The founding hypothesis in art therapy research emerged from the projects of two women curious about how art could help the severely ill, but extensions of their work continue to grow. Like much in our lives, art therapy research is now increasingly embracing immersive technology.

, ,

The State of Trust: Consumers and Transparency in the Entertainment Industry

, ,
The State of Trust: Consumers and Transparency in the Entertainment Industry

The business of trust is complicated. The topics of trust, authenticity, and transparency have emerged as what consumers expect from businesses today (MultiVu - PR Newswire, 2020). This study looks at the entertainment industry and how these topics are central to the relationship between media and entertainment companies and consumers. Findings reveal simple but pivotal changes businesses can make to succeed.

, ,

Intangible Cultural Heritage: Context and Digital Approaches for Safeguarding Efforts

, ,
Intangible Cultural Heritage: Context and Digital Approaches for Safeguarding Efforts

Digitization efforts for cultural heritage are standard practice for institutions of all sizes, ranging from simple metadata records to elaborate 3D renderings of ancient sites. While the discussion of digitally preserving cultural heritage at large is prominent, the intersection of intangible cultural heritage and digitization practices requires specific recognition. This includes understanding intangible cultural heritage and its value for society. This article examines the emerging and evolving landscape of intangible cultural heritage, its global impact, and current efforts for safeguarding these intangible items in order to address how this field is being organized and used.

,

Creating Sustainability in the Film Industry

,
Creating Sustainability in the Film Industry

When thinking about sustainability the first thought that often comes to mind is climate action, net-neutrality, or carbon emissions. Sustainability, in fact, has many other aspects beyond the climate. The United Nations developed a list of 17 goals in 2016 with a goal for the world to reach in 2030. These goals address holistic sustainability ­­­– aiming to help increase the quality of life worldwide. As organizations become conscious of their environmental impacts, more approaches in greening the industry and a tangible plan to fight climate change will be more readily implemented by the film industry, while still producing new content for the world.