Founded in 2023, the Digital Humanities Research Center is a dynamic interdisciplinary hub that promotes the convergence of humanistic knowledge, cultural heritage and patrimony and technological innovation. The Center explores how emerging technologies—especially artificial intelligence—reshape cultural production, creative processes, and educational practices, while critically engaging with their social, ethical, and symbolic implications.
The main strands of research include:
- Artificial Intelligence and the Cultural and Creative Industries – Investigating the adoption of AI in the arts and culture sector, with particular focus on creative authorship, market transformations, and the cultural imaginaries shaped by algorithmic processes.
- AI and Creative Education – Exploring the potential of intelligent technologies to support creative teaching, artistic training, and the development of interdisciplinary educational pathways.
- AI, Health, and Well-being – Examining the use of AI in promoting psychological and educational well-being, including applications in mental health, self-expression, and socially engaged design.
These areas are interwoven with a transversal research strand on gender, diversity, and inclusion in the Digital Humanities, with a focus on how technological change interacts with social identities and cultural inequalities.
The Center plays a strategic role within the university, working in close synergy with the PhD program in Digital Humanities and the undergraduate programs in humanities and digital studies. It supports the training of early-career researchers and fosters innovation in research and teaching.
Its main missions include:
- Promoting cutting-edge research, including participation in national and international funding programs;
- Developing collaborations with museums, cultural institutions, AFAM institutions, and schools;
- Launching the Osservatorio sulla Creatività Artificiale (OsCAr) – an observatory dedicated to the study of AI’s impact on artistic and cultural production;
- Engaging in scientific outreach and public dialogue, through seminars, publications, and workshops.
- Through its interdisciplinary approach and commitment to knowledge transfer, the Center positions itself as a leading research space at the intersection of culture and technology, fostering inclusivity, academic excellence, and societal impact. It represents a national and international reference point for those seeking to reimagine the role of the humanities in the age of artificial intelligence.
