Problematizing the Digital Turn in Performing Arts

In an era where generative AI algorithms and machine learning can replicate arts and capture vast amounts of cultural data without consent, the extraction of intangible heritage can be seen asthe quiet capture of intellectual property, metadata, and digital patents by foreign entities.

This new digital frontier presents profound challenges to authorship and sovereignty. Music, dance, and storytelling are increasingly subjected to algorithmic bias that misrepresents diverse traditions by putting them into generic categories. For instance, the social media posts specifically highlight how African music is frequently lumped into "World Music" label on global streaming platforms, whereas copyright policies may lead to lock generations of musical heritage behind corporate paywalls, as in the case of India’s current Copyright Act.

The posts illustrate critical issues surrounding AI’s role in shaping perceptions of art, music, and traditional knowledge, highlighting a concern for bias, representation, and authorship. Leveraging vast cultural databases for AI model training frequently sidelines indigenous contributions and histories, reinforcing existing inequities in data ownership and cultural representation. Key features discussed include illicit data extraction, cultural misrepresentation, the absence of proper digital identifiers such as ISRCs and ISWCs, and the monopolization of intellectual property (IP), wherein the dominant narrative is shaped mainly by a few global powers.

Compared to traditional practices, where cultural heritage was managed through traditional custodianship, the current scenario claims a necessity to establish ethical and equitable frameworks. Moreover, the trend highlights a critical view of digital integration in the performing arts, especially from ethical and community perspectives; the posts claim that encouraging physical performance enables performing arts to preserve as living structures rather than digital assets, which critically includes bodily engagement and participation, maintaining cultural memory as deeply embodied knowledge.