Hi, I’m Kristin.

Cultural organizations exist to bring peak human flourishing into everyday life. Visual art, nature, live performance, scientific learning and discovery, shared culture and history.

Current AI stands in many ways in stark contradiction to that.

Just like the social media years that led us here, AI squarely crosses the technology-human divide. Unlike the social media run-up, AI does that with 100% intent to mimic human interaction. That uncanny divide is confusing. And meant to be so.

In this and so many other ways, AI is unlike anything we have lived before, yet is already so woven into daily life as to feel essential for those of us who embrace the challenge of using it effectively.

My experience at the epicenter of AI disruption in the software industry showed me that AI is (or will) change how we work. It changes how we get tasks done. Which changes how job roles are ultimately shaped. Which changes how teams will function… how organizations evolve. How the sector evolves. It is actively reshaping whole professions and industries.

And yet. Rather than avoid AI, I believe that arts and culture has a unique opportunity with AI.

While the rest of the world drifts toward AI slop, our hard work begins. We must find where AI belongs in our uniquely human-oriented institutions — and, importantly, where AI does not.

I founded AI for Arts and Culture to help cultural organizations face these particular challenges: how does a cultural institution with its mission focused on human flourishing hold this powerful and human-disruptive technology? Should we? And if so, can we do it well?

The cultural sector stands at an amazing precipice. I believe we can use this time of change and upheaval to find balance between human values and AI’s usefulness. Not only for ourselves, but also more widely for the world by example.

The optimistic pragmatist

Like many of you, I am full of contradictions about AI. Environmental impact, creative and intellectual infringement, societal drift — these sit at the top of my personal list of concerns.

And. I am a lifelong technologist. An uneasy peace between human and machine is in my bones. My interests have long lived with emerging tech and its application and usefulness to humanity.

Each of will arrive at our own personal and professional conclusions about AI, and I encourage us to be hands-on with the new tools and capabilities AI brings.

If we are hands-on now, building skill to use AI effectively, the more leverage we have to steer our own careers, our teams, and our organizations in this time of great change.

My work is about helping you build a modern, human-centered AI practice within your cultural organization — hands-on and organically from within your own teams.

This is work we can do together in a way that elevates your organizations, helps you serve humanity and still move the sector forward using modern technology and tools.

I think it’s important work. Not only for your organization. But for the sector and ultimately, for the good of all. AI is not going away. The world needs positive examples of AI used well to serve humanity. Let’s build that.

Kristin Darrow is a technology leader and futurist for the cultural sector. Longtime founding executive and former Chief Product Officer at Tessitura, she has spent the last few years at the epicenter of AI's disruption of big tech itself, helping technology and product teams reimagine work next to AI.

She founded AI for Arts and Culture in 2025 with focus on applied responsible AI for the cultural sector, uniting her experience as technologist, product builder and innovation team builder to help cultural organizations meet AI effectively while keeping themselves rooted in their by-humans, for-humans, with-humans missions.