The world is constantly digitalizing, and the fact that digital reality exists next to ordinary reality is no longer fantastic for anyone. Every sphere of human development must follow modern tendencies in order to keep up with trends and be relevant. This especially applies to culture, although most of us are used to considering it as something deeply traditional and not capable of modern transformations. But in order to occupy appropriate niches and attract a wider audience, in particular, young people, culture needs to be digitized – to meet world trends, as well as modern human needs.
According to the Collins dictionary definition, digitization is the process of converting data into a digital form that can be directly processed by a computer.
Let’s consider the challenges faced by the world and Ukraine in the digitalization of culture, the initiatives implemented in Ukraine, as well as the tools used by the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development”, UCORD, to promote digitalization in culture. The UCORD project is supported by Switzerland and implemented by NIRAS Sweden AB.
Global trends: the “threat” of artificial intelligence and the growing influence of digital technologies on human development
Mondiacult is one of the world’s largest platforms that sets trends in global cultural policy. It is a forum where UNESCO member states jointly define the global agenda for culture. The previous Mondiacult-2022 considered culture as a “soft power” with the help of which “each person can discover his common humanity and become a free and educated citizen, which is the basis of society. However, culture still does not occupy the place it deserves in state policy and international cooperation. The adopted declaration of the forum calls for this situation to be corrected” (Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General). In addition, the outcome document called for significant regulation of the digital sector, particularly large platforms, in favor of cultural diversity on the Internet, intellectual property of artists and equal access to content for all.
The next Mondiacult will be held in Barcelona in 2025 and will be dedicated to such an aspect of digitalization as artificial intelligence, namely, finding solutions so that the use of artificial intelligence does not limit the rights of creative workers. And at the beginning of next year, UNESCO is preparing to announce a competition for projects dedicated to the impact of artificial intelligence on culture. The winners will present their innovative solutions for artists at a conference in Barcelona.
Another important indicator that tracks general world trends is the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI is a summary indicator calculated annually to assess average achievements in three main dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. The study of HDI is carried out within the framework of the Development Program of the United Nations.
By the way, the HDI of Ukraine in 2024 is 0.734, which makes it a country with a high level of human development. Now Ukraine ranks 100th in the overall ranking out of 193 countries and territories. If we look at the dynamics of changes in HDI, in 1991 we took 47th place, in 2000 – 75th, in 2010 – 82nd, in 2013 – 83rd place, in 2015-2016 – 84th place. Over the years of active decentralization and reforms in all areas of development policy, we rose 10 positions and in 2020 were already in 74th place, but the Covid-19 pandemic and full-scale war stopped this growth, and now we are down to 100th place.
Every year, the UN publishes World Reports on the state of human development in 193 countries. These Reports record the HDI and reflect certain trends in human development. For example, the 2021-2022 Report was about a “shaky” world and uncertainty. The report for 2023-2024 is about the ways out of the “dead end” in which the world has found itself due to the pandemic and wars. It is planned that the Report in 2025 will concern the place of digital technologies in human development.
ЯAs you can see, digital technologies are constantly penetrating global world trends, but at the same time, the center of attention remains the person and his mind as the most valuable capital. To some extent, humanity is concerned that digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can limit people’s rights if handled incorrectly. And an important task here is to balance these two powerful forces – to force digital technologies not to replace humans, but only to promote their development.
Digitization of Ukrainian culture: salvation or popularization?
Trends are trends, but what are the practical arguments for total digitization in culture? The most important of them is the need to preserve cultural heritage in digital form, to provide access to culture to a larger number of people, to popularize cultural heritage through digital technologies, which is especially relevant for young people. It is worth noting that Ukrainian culture needs to digitize quickly in view of Russian aggression. We are constantly at risk of losing unique cultural assets with no chance of their recovery. Digitization of archives, exhibits, and historical buildings allows you to preserve valuable things at least in digital form, and in the long run it will make it possible to restore/reconstruct them. Digitization is now moving at a faster pace than before the full-scale war. There are many interesting projects, initiatives and organizations involved in this. And here are just some of them.
The eMuseum organization digitizes museum values and cultural assets using 3D scanning. They have already digitized dozens of collections of leading Ukrainian museums, provided their online presentation. In addition, the organization is engaged in the reproduction of (non)existent objects in virtual space (for example, the Tithe Church), creates immersive (from English immersive – to immerse) exhibitions, virtual tours, augmented reality, animation, etc.
Project Hatathon 5.0: Legacy. Stability. Innovations is an annual online ideathon and training program on the digitization of cultural heritage of Ukraine. The founders of the project gathered specialists and activists to generate new approaches and tools for digitizing, documenting, and preserving tangible and intangible heritage. IT professionals from this community adapt technological tools (online broadcasts, VR/AR, interactive digital mechanics) to specific uses in theaters, museums, festivals, etc.
Lviv office Skeiron digitizes objects of Ukrainian cultural heritage. Since April 2022, the organization has been implementing the #SaveUkrainianHeritage project, financed by the European Union through the Aliph Foundation – a fund that helps protect heritage during wars and other conflicts.
Another project that deals with the preservation of cultural heritage is “Save Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online” (SUCHO). The community includes more than a thousand programmers, archiving specialists and computer amateurs. The project team preserves endangered cultural properties by archiving them digitally.
And as part of the “Innovative cultural product” program, the UKF supported the interactive project “WalQlike cultural routes”. It contains 10 cultural and thematic routes of Kyiv through the main attractions of the city. All quest routes are available in the free mobile application.
In addition, with the beginning of a full-scale war, interest in such a phenomenon as NFT (a type of digital asset that uses blockchain technology to confirm the uniqueness and ownership of this asset, more details – in the material Society-Culture) has increased. And the field of digital art was the first where its mass use began. A vivid example is the project of the National Museum in Lviv by Andrey Sheptytskyi together with the Ukrainian specialized online platform V-Art to create the NFT collection “Alternative Dimensions”.
This is only a small part of the projects on digitalization of culture and it is nice to see that this process continues unceasingly, because Ukrainian culture needs both popularization and preservation.
UCORD Forum: looking for solutions for the “humane” digitization of culture
Culture is a way of expanding human capabilities and, as a result, a driver of change in the world. Therefore, it is impossible to consider development without the influence of culture on it. That is why the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development”, UCORD, along with the components for supporting harmonious regional development, improving public services in the sector of water supply, sanitation and waste management, has a component aimed at building social cohesion through culture, dialogue and creative industries.
One of the tools for achieving specific practical results in the project is regional cultural forums, each of which has its own unique topic. The purpose of the forums is to create a platform for dialogue on challenges, opportunities and tools for increasing the contribution of culture and creative industries to regional development and social cohesion and networking of participants in the sphere of culture and creative industries to create new partnerships and stimulate local economic development through cultural and creative industries, cultural tourism etc.
The next forum, which will be held on September 27 in Khmelnytskyi region, is called “Culture and the potential of the individual”. It is organized by the UCORD project in partnership with the Regional Development Agency of the Khmelnytskyi Region, the Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration and the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council. It will consider the use of artificial intelligence in culture and the role of culture in the formation and development of personality.
“The volatility and instability of the modern world have a negative impact on people’s lives. Because of the war and crisis situations, many people lost not only material resources, but also opportunities for self-realization and development. These circumstances caused a deep sense of despair, depression, anxiety and psychological trauma. Digitization, social networks and artificial intelligence, which have quickly entered people’s lives, create additional pressure and new challenges. These technological changes affect all aspects of life and often lead to increased anxiety and social isolation. So the question arises: how can culture help us shape the normal life of people and the future of the state in a turbulent, changing world? This is exactly what we will talk about during the next cultural forum in Khmelnytskyi,” says Marina Kulinich, Head of Component 3 “Culture and Social Cohesion”, adviser on issues of culture, social cohesion and citizen involvement of the UCORD project.
It is already obvious that we are moving into a world where it will be impossible to live without digital technologies. And that is why Ukrainian culture must constantly master new technologies, not be afraid of them, in order to be on par with the modern world. At the same time, we should not forget that human intelligence, creativity and personality remain primary in the digital world, which we must nurture in ourselves in order to be visible in the world, create important things and promote Ukraine to leadership positions in positive indicators of world ratings.
The authors are solely responsible for the content of this publication or the positions expressed during the event. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation or NIRAS Sweden AB.