Arts Datathon: Intelligence - Presented by LA County Dept of Arts & Culture

Arts Datathon returns on April 29 with a day of data exploration, collaboration, and creation. will feature hands-on workshops designed to help our arts and culture communities understand how to use generative AI tools effectively and ethically. Arts Datathon: Intelligence is open to the public. Registration fee of $20 per participant includes two breakout workshop sessions - one in the morning and one in the afternoon - as well as coffee and lunch.*

*Ticket cost should not prohibit attendance. If you are unable to pay the registration fee, waivers are available upon request. Please contact [email protected].

This year’s event features six unique workshops to choose from where participants will explore the intersection of arts and data:

• AI From the Inside Out: Learn about AI tools arts and culture organizations can utilize to effectively supplement your capacity to achieve important tasks supporting organizational and business-related activities.
  
• Hacking the Prompt: Join us for a practical and interactive session exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in your work and (maybe!) your personal life.
  
• What is Creativity in the Age of AI?: Explore different types of knowledge and creativity using AI tools, our shared insights, and hands-on materials like clay, color pencils, and markers.
  
• Handling Data with Care: Engage in a friendly, non-technical introduction to recognizing and managing personally identifiable information (PII) as well as simple methods to keep this data safe.
  
• AI Policy for the Arts: Develop an AI policy specifically designed to address unique needs, concerns, and opportunities in arts and culture.
  
• Title 6: One-sentence description

More detailed descriptions of the breakout sessions can be found at this link.

Bios of all breakout session facilitators and steering committee members can be found at this link.

Since its inception in 2017, the Arts Datathon has been a catalyst for collaboration, bringing together a diverse array of participants including arts administrators, artists, educators, data scientists, students, community advocates, researchers, civic technologists, members of the tech community, and others. The event aims to explore how data can be leveraged to improve access to the arts and enhance cultural experiences for all.

Arts Datathon: Discovery is presented by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture with generous support from Arts for LA, Filipino American Symphony Orchestra, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, Inner-City Arts, Los Angeles Artist Census, Metro, The Music Center, and POIETO.

This year’s event is produced by POIETO, a woman-owned and BIPOC-led company dedicated to building collective intelligence for a more creative and responsible AI future.

Visit the Arts Datathon Website at: https://www.lacountyarts.org/learning/arts-datathon

Info: AI From the Inside Out: How organizations can use AI to increase impact
Most nonprofit arts and culture organizations operate with limited staff and resources. AI tools have the potential to supplement organizational capacity to achieve important tasks that support fundraising, outreach, ticket sales, content creation, board activities, and other critical activities. This session will walk participants through specific cases that show how arts organizations can use these tools effectively. Bring a laptop with you to try some of these tools yourself.

Info: Hacking the prompt: Using AI to problem solve and learn
Join us for a practical and interactive session exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in your work and (maybe!) your personal life. Participants will be guided through a process to envision how they want their partnership with AI to look like in the workplace, engage in activities to get the most out of AI interactions, and reflect on where AI can best support their work. Participants will learn about prompt engineering techniques and reflect on the limitations, ethical dilemmas, and possibilities of using AI to facilitate problem solving.

Info: What is Creativity in the Age of AI?
Artificial Intelligence and human creativity both draw from existing pools of knowledge to generate content. While AI relies on digitized data sets, humans tap into other realms of knowledge shaped by our memories, senses, and experiences. In this session, we will explore different types of knowledge and creativity using AI tools, our shared insights, and hands-on materials like clay, color pencils, and markers. Together, we’ll examine the advantages and limitations of both human and AI knowledge, as well as the possibilities that emerge at their intersection.

Info: Handling Data with Care: A guide for humans
Arts and culture organizations collect all kinds of information, and our audiences trust us with that data, but what counts as personal data, and how can we handle it responsibly? This session offers an introduction to recognizing and managing personally identifiable information (PII), like names, contact details, and financial records. We’ll talk about simple ways to recognize and keep this data safe.

Many organizations also work with third-party vendors for ticketing, email marketing, or grantmaking. Are those partners protecting personal data as well as you are? We’ll go over what to look for in contracts and policies to ensure that third parties are following good data practices. Whether you work in grants, education, or marketing, this session will help you feel more confident in handling personal data.

Info: AI Policy for the Arts: Crafting an AI policy for arts educators and arts organizations
Establishing an AI policy is a powerful first step for any organization looking to implement AI as it lays a clear foundation for responsible, ethical, and values-driven adoption. This session leads participants through developing an AI policy specifically designed to address the unique needs, concerns, and opportunities in arts and culture. With POIETO’s Responsible Framework – anchored in belonging, consent, accountability, creativity, and responsibility – as a guide, participants will explore and collaborate on how to align AI usage and adoption with core values, principles, and organizational goals. By the end of this session, participants will have the tools and inspiration to draft a policy that not only safeguards your institution, but also empowers it to thrive as a responsible, ethical, and productive entity in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Info: TBD

Info: AI From the Inside Out: How organizations can use AI to increase impact
Most nonprofit arts and culture organizations operate with limited staff and resources. AI tools have the potential to supplement organizational capacity to achieve important tasks that support fundraising, outreach, ticket sales, content creation, board activities, and other critical activities. This session will walk participants through specific cases that show how arts organizations can use these tools effectively. Bring a laptop with you to try some of these tools yourself.

Info: Hacking the prompt: Using AI to problem solve and learn
Join us for a practical and interactive session exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in your work and (maybe!) your personal life. Participants will be guided through a process to envision how they want their partnership with AI to look like in the workplace, engage in activities to get the most out of AI interactions, and reflect on where AI can best support their work. Participants will learn about prompt engineering techniques and reflect on the limitations, ethical dilemmas, and possibilities of using AI to facilitate problem solving.

Info: What is Creativity in the Age of AI?
Artificial Intelligence and human creativity both draw from existing pools of knowledge to generate content. While AI relies on digitized data sets, humans tap into other realms of knowledge shaped by our memories, senses, and experiences. In this session, we will explore different types of knowledge and creativity using AI tools, our shared insights, and hands-on materials like clay, color pencils, and markers. Together, we’ll examine the advantages and limitations of both human and AI knowledge, as well as the possibilities that emerge at their intersection.

Info: Handling Data with Care: A guide for humans
Arts and culture organizations collect all kinds of information, and our audiences trust us with that data, but what counts as personal data, and how can we handle it responsibly? This session offers an introduction to recognizing and managing personally identifiable information (PII), like names, contact details, and financial records. We’ll talk about simple ways to recognize and keep this data safe.

Many organizations also work with third-party vendors for ticketing, email marketing, or grantmaking. Are those partners protecting personal data as well as you are? We’ll go over what to look for in contracts and policies to ensure that third parties are following good data practices. Whether you work in grants, education, or marketing, this session will help you feel more confident in handling personal data.

Info: AI Policy for the Arts: Crafting an AI policy for arts educators and arts organizations
Establishing an AI policy is a powerful first step for any organization looking to implement AI as it lays a clear foundation for responsible, ethical, and values-driven adoption. This session leads participants through developing an AI policy specifically designed to address the unique needs, concerns, and opportunities in arts and culture. With POIETO’s Responsible Framework – anchored in belonging, consent, accountability, creativity, and responsibility – as a guide, participants will explore and collaborate on how to align AI usage and adoption with core values, principles, and organizational goals. By the end of this session, participants will have the tools and inspiration to draft a policy that not only safeguards your institution, but also empowers it to thrive as a responsible, ethical, and productive entity in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Info: TBD

Info: Participants will have the opportunity to present and discuss their insights, findings, and creations from the break out workshop sessions.

Host or Publisher POIETO