Today’s AJ Highlights

Good morning. One of the revolutions in marketing brought about by AI will be going from getting your message out in front of the right people to having AI agents that will make relationships and “persuade” people. Spotify is testing a version of this. The streaming service, which has made its mark with algorithms tuned to users’ choices, has created AI DJs, which not only learn your musical taste, but talk up music it thinks you will like. Read more here at NPR.

Here are more highlights from the past day:

1. British Museum Receives Its Most Valuable Gift Ever: $1.27 Billion Worth of Chinese Ceramics This historic donation from the Sir Percival David Foundation solidifies the British Museum’s global standing and sparks discussions about cultural ownership and legacy, reflecting the complexities of art philanthropy. – The Guardian​
2. How People Focus Attention On Art Has Changed. Museums Need To Change Too Claire Bishop discusses how evolving social and digital landscapes are transforming audience engagement with art, urging museums to adapt their spaces and practices to meet the needs of contemporary viewers. – The Nation​
3. How Mason Bates Turned Michael Chabon’s Most Famous Novel Into an Opera Bates and librettist Gene Scheer adapted The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay into an opera set to open at the Met, merging contemporary literature and classical music to expand operatic narratives. – AP​
4. Notre-Dame Restoration Has a $148 Million Surplus
   Unexpected fundraising success for Notre-Dame’s restoration reveals surplus funds, raising important questions about the allocation of excess resources in large-scale cultural preservation projects. – France24​
5. An Evangelical Theater Company Gains National Traction From Its Small-Town Roots Beginning as a family initiative, this theater company has evolved into a conservatory with a major residency, highlighting the power of grassroots movements to achieve national recognition in the arts. – The Washington Post​

Skip down to see the rest of the stories we collected in the past day, organized by art form. See you tomorrow!

Doug