This opening session will navigate the multitude of tipping points and changes faced by society and the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) today, offering perspectives from two cultural leaders with prolific artistic and cultural practices: a pioneering media artist in Korean contemporary arts, and a computer scientist and poet advocating for Indigenous data sovereignty. Together, they will explore the urgent need for technology and digital spaces that enable diverse narratives, as well as poly-spaces that foster critical thinking and collective gathering amidst deepening societal fault lines. Their dialogue will examine the role and value of culture in today’s world – how it both challenges and adapts to shifting realities – while speaking to its power to inspire resilience, resistance and positive change.

This first plenary will reflect on the social dimension of culture and the CCS in our current context of exponential change, which is profoundly transforming the world around us at unrecognisable speed. We will examine recent progress, familiar and systemic challenges, and new tensions; and consider how global issues manifest locally and affect distinct contextual realities whether national or regional. We will reflect on cases where the role of culture has been recognised in broader policy agendas, and address roadblocks that remain.

This round up session offers a summary of highlights and key insights from the plenary and parallel sessions on Day One. This is an opportunity to revisit and reflect on our conversations to prepare for the day ahead.

This session brings together two exceptional thought leaders: a pioneering media artist and long-time Artistic Director of Ars Electronica, and an accomplished curator known for advancing South Asian perspectives in contemporary visual art. Together, they will delve into the future of culture, diversity and knowledge systems in a world increasingly shaped by rapid technological advancement unseen since the industrial revolution. How can we leverage emerging technologies and digital platforms to democratise access to knowledge? How can we create safe spaces for diverse narratives in a polarised world? How can technology contribute positively to dynamic cultural discourses? Together they will consider strategies for future-proofing culture and technology in a fragile world marked by deep fault lines.

This plenary delves into the ethics and governance of AI, focusing on strategies to future-proof the CCS in an era of accelerated technological development. As the CCS explore the potential of AI, what strategies can ensure that these technologies are developed and used ethically, supporting creativity while safeguarding against potential misuse? Do moral and societal codes apply in the AI world, and how do we reconcile liberty with the rights and responsibilities of the analogue world? Importantly, how can we more effectively leverage AI to protect human creativity and ensure a level playing field?

Description texThis plenary will explore a broad spectrum of rights related to culture, including cultural rights, labour rights, Intellectual Property and copyright, as well as the collective rights of Indigenous peoples, living cultures and traditional knowledge. Framing culture as both a sector and a dimension of society, the session will examine progress made, showcase good practices and identify critical gaps that need to be addressed and included in futureproofing policymaking. We will also explore how collaboration between cultural and non-cultural stakeholders can be strengthened to ensure the sustainability of the arts and culture ecosystem.t goes here

This round up session offers a summary of highlights and key insights from the plenary and parallel sessions on Day Two. This is an opportunity to revisit and reflect on our conversations to prepare for the day ahead.

In this interactive session, we will open the floor for broader commentary and discussion on our respective roles in shaping the future of arts and culture, particularly around three key themes addressed at the Summit: knowledge systems and agency; participatory systems and connectedness; and digital systems and technology. Facilitated by two moderators, this exchange session is intended as an open and safe space for all delegates to share reflections from different perspectives and lived experiences.

Drawing on the lessons learned about knowledge systems during the Summit, we will consider concrete actions that we can take within our spheres of influence to ensure diverse cultural narratives in the future. What role should the CCS play in the design, development and deployment of AI? As actors in this international community, knowing the environment we work in and the challenges we face, what actions should we take to ensure reciprocal cultural exchange and dialogue to nurture connectedness in an increasingly fragile world?

This plenary will synthesise the key issues and calls to action from the previous two days of the Summit and the open floor discussion. The conversation will focus on the most urgent priorities and necessary steps forward. What do we need to chart a more just, sustainable and diverse future for culture, both as a sector and as a dimension of society? What actions should the whole cultural ecology take to ensure that arts and culture are recognised as a catalyst for building inclusive and sustainable communities? Whose voices should be brought into the dialogue? In a fragile world, what do we most need to foster empathy, open dialogue and collective action to futureproof the cultural and creative sectors?

These questions will be considered from a global perspective, identifying key challenges as well as contextualised solutions and next steps that individuals and institutions can make at local, national and international levels. The panel will envision a world where we actively promote a sustainable, just and inclusive future for arts and culture, while acknowledging and respecting differences within a shared agenda.