AI and digital innovation in the cultural sectors: technology, sustainability, and new creative jobs. Are we ready?

With the increasing digitalisation of economies and societies, even sectors which were so far resistant to embedding technological applications are now considering their use to further grow or sustain their operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of digital infrastructure, systems, soft-ware, and platforms for the survival of businesses and independent workers un-der the threat of this unprecedented health crisis. The cultural sectors were one of the hardest-hit due to their reliance on face-to-face interactions and limited embeddedness of digital tools and remote modes of working (Webb 2021). In response to a need for ensuring greater sustainability and resilience within cul-tural production and work systems, digitalisation is currently being discussed as the key strategy for the cultural sectors’ recovery. However, as the sectors con-tinue to reflect on the devastating long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that digital and technological innovations far exceed the limited options utilised by arts and cultural organisations before and during the pandemic.