An international consortium coordinated by the National Library of the Netherlands (KB) has been awarded €5 million in funding through Horizon Europe for the research project CULTURAI. Over the next four years, the project will lay the foundations for a virtual international Competence Centre for AI in the cultural and creative sectors, designed to support cultural institutions and creators in the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The project focuses on two key areas: the audiovisual (AV) sector and the cultural heritage sector, particularly Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM). It aims to generate evidence, practical tools and policy recommendations that can support creative professionals, cultural institutions, policymakers and other stakeholders in adopting AI in responsible and inclusive ways. More about the project at: CULTURAI  

Researchers from the Department for Culture and Communication at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) met with Dr Xin Gu, Associate Professor at Monash University European Research Foundation ETS, at the IRMO Library in Zagreb to discuss the CULTURAI Horizon Europe project. The meeting focused on the project’s methodology and further explored “Culture for AI,” which Dr Gu highlighted as a central concept of CULTURAI. This approach shifts the focus from asking what AI can do for culture towards exploring how culture and cultural practitioners can actively shape the development and use of AI.

During the first part of the meeting, Stacey Holman Jones from Monash University, a scholar working in theatre and performance studies, joined the discussion via Zoom and shared insights from her experience with future-oriented and participatory methods, including the “Tomorrow Party” approach. The participants explored possible approaches to participatory workshops and creative engagement, as well as ways of enabling practitioners to experiment with AI tools while reflecting on their experiences.

The meeting also focused on the organisation of the Croatian Living Lab, which will be implemented as part of the project. The Living Lab will engage small and medium-sized enterprises, freelancers and creative practitioners in the audiovisual sector, with particular attention to the opportunities, challenges and implications of artificial intelligence for the cultural and creative sectors. Within CULTURAI, IRMO will contribute to several areas of the project, including the European audiovisual sector survey on the impact of AI, national audiovisual case studies and comparative analysis, research on AI governance and cultural AI policies, the development of the CULTURAI Living Lab framework, and the Zagreb Living Lab focused on AI tools for creative writing and digital storytelling. IRMO will also contribute to the development of sector recommendations and policy documents.

Further methodological development will take place in cooperation with the CULTURAI consortium and in accordance with the Living Lab framework to be developed during the initial phase of the project.

The meeting provided an opportunity to identify key methodological and organisational issues for further discussion at the CULTURAI project kick-off meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 29 September.