Cross artform

Arts Council England has teamed up with Goldsmiths, University of London, to develop best practice guidance on using artificial intelligence (AI) in the cultural sector.

The work is being led by Dr Oonagh Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, who has received a fellowship award from a three-year national research programme funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council called BRAID - Bridging the Responsible AI Divide.

Murphy will work with ACE over the next 18 months to explore how AI might be ethically and responsibly integrated into its work and the work of the organisations it supports.

The guidance will focus on harnessing the benefits of experimenting with AI, exploring the risks it might present to the intellectual property rights and livelihoods of people who work in the sector, and recommending ways to mitigate them.

Her research will involve interviews with ACE staff and other cultural sector professionals to understand how AI might impact their work, as well as reviewing emerging literature and good practices regarding the use of AI.

Murphy said: “This project takes a whole organisation approach, and the embedded nature of the research fellowship provides a unique opportunity to create new ways of thinking about how AI will impact on the work of Arts Council England today, tomorrow and into the future.”

Cuts to a wide range of services across Birmingham including arts and culture are based on "imagined data", it has been claimed.

According to The Guardian, sources inside the Labour-led council said the local authority’s finances were in disarray as a result of a faulty IT system rollout and a £760m equal pay liability bill, which led it to effectively declare bankruptcy, and could be hugely overstated.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Tilsley said: “The figure of £760m is a figment of someone’s imagination, in my opinion. If you look at the estimated claimants, the numbers are just incompatible, it defies financial imagination.

“And this figure is ruining this city. We’re going to see the real basic infrastructure of the city, things like libraries, closed and sold off, and when they’re gone they can’t be replicated. I’m seeing the heart ripped out of my city.”

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “In early 2023, there were a variety of estimates of equal pay liability, which were wide-ranging and clearly needed further work. Further detailed analysis was requested and subsequently the findings were shared with the public and all members of this council.

“Since then the council has worked tirelessly with trade unions and the commissioners to agree a job evaluation scheme that will help to end the equal pay liability once and for all.

“A budget for the next two years was approved by full council in March. We must now focus on how we spend what we have in the most effective way, and we are committed to getting the basics right across a whole range of service areas.”

Residents and cultural organisations are being asked to share their views on a draft strategy for the future of arts and culture in Central Bedfordshire.

Central Bedfordshire Council said the draft strategy, which will become the district's first arts and culture strategy, sets goals to create a "thriving cultural landscape" over the next five years.

A consultation on a draft library services strategy for the next five years is also being held.

Mary Walsh, the council's Executive Member responsible for libraries, arts and culture, said: "A vibrant arts and cultural scene can help communities come together, increase footfall in our town centres and villages, promote health and wellbeing, and give people a sense of pride in where they live. 

"Evidence shows it can also create a prosperous economy, enriching lives through diverse cultural experiences.  

"Our library services strategy emphasises our commitment to ensuring libraries continue to be vibrant community spaces, as well as high-quality centres for learning and participation that are accessible to all.

"It’s important that both these strategies align with community aspirations and needs. We urge people to get involved with this consultation, look at the work we have done so far, which sets out a series of actions to help us achieve our aims, and help shape the future of arts and culture and our library services in Central Bedfordshire."

The Libraries Strategy consultation is open until 23 June, and the Arts and Culture Strategy consultation is open until 21 July.