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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As 2023 comes to a close, Artificial Intelligence remains front of mind as tech giants continue to develop more powerful language models. The rapid development comes with growing concern for privacy and energy consumption. Meanwhile, arts organizations use technology to stay on top of trends - bringing popular culture into museums or adjusting to changing voice in social media. And, as the year comes to a close, the Arts Management and Technology Laboratory is taking a break for the next couple of weeks. Check back January 1 for new content, follow us on socials, or rewind to some of your favorite 2023 articles and podcasts.
This report considers content and distribution strategies that allow Paramount Global Content Distribution (PGCD) to maximize subscriber growth and external licensing revenue. Given the symbiotic nature of licensing deals among studios, the research team focused on how PGCD can remain competitive in the streaming landscape with a balanced mixture of internally and externally licensed properties.
The merging of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and human cognitive systems has catalyzed a profound digital transformation of our lifestyles and production methods. This shift is particularly noticeable in the art field, where the integration of AI has sparked innovative ideas and prompted new assessments of traditional practices. Art museums are investigating the potential of AI in collection management, improving visitor experiences, and ticketing attendance data. Of these, the field of art curation is one that is undergoing an evolution.
Exciting to many, distressing to some – digital media continues to hold the largest share of arts participation, and platforms are finding new ways to engage with online audiences. As new trends emerge, creators across disciplines are advocating and winning fair compensation and increased protection of their work. From SAG-AFTRA to regional theatre, contracts with creators are offering greater rewards for digital content and protections for current and future AI.
The field of art conservation has long been a community of highly specialized and skilled professionals, often whom have dedicated hundreds of hours to understanding meticulous processes and materials. They are entrusted by institutions and the public to preserve and protect pieces of culture and history- works which often occupy fragile and delicate states for the remainder of their existence. Many of these pieces have lived long periods of time, having witnessed conflict, cultural changes, and geopolitical events over the course of history.
For this analysis, author Ashley Offman has analyzed Playbill's Top 10 List from the most recent Broadway season. To fully understand the opportunities available for those who are trying to enter the industry, Ashley analyzed the costs of the current (as of November 2023) top 10 most represented schools on Broadway, the competition surrounding the process, and the possible consequences of the Supreme Court’s ruling to end affirmative action.
Staff Researcher, Venetia Liao, attended the 2023 Museum Computer Network Conference (MCN), and wrote about her four key takeaways: (1) Audience Engagement & Visitor Experience In Apps, Websites, Research, and Design, (2) AI, VR/XR/AR Usage & Concerns, (3) Data & Database Management For Collections Management & Marketing Strategy, and (4) Cybersecurity.
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.
While researchers are working to develop sign language recognition technologies, there are no commercially available sign language recognition technologies (yet). As performing arts seeks to become a more inclusive and diverse space, one area that we can work to be more inclusive is with our language, by making our spaces accessible to those who speak many languages, even non-spoken ones.
The following research was designed to gain an understanding of the legacy artist to further develop the Les Paul brand and increase recognition surrounding his name. The research team examined strategies for re-introducing Paul in an over-saturated media climate to younger generations through both quantitative and qualitative analysis.
This case study for Bally Sports shows that sports fans’ top priority for streaming is accessible, reliable, and interesting content. As a result of these findings, the recommendations to maintain longevity in the streaming industry focus on the importance of brand awareness, user experience, representative content, and potential partnership integrations.
