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Arts & Communication Digital AI transformation of the Chinese art industry

responses. These interviews were conducted between May
2023 and February 2024. In order to assess broader digital
trends in the contemporary art industry, the questions
posed to arts professionals differed from those posed to
visual artists. Table 2 presents information about the arts
professionals interviewed.
Interviews were conducted in person at the artists’
studio, art galleries, or art museums, online through
24
videoconferencing, and in writing through email,
21
3
depending on the interviewee’s preference. The researchers
recruited interviewees through snowball sampling.
Initial contacts were made through visits to art galleries Figure 1. Age of survey participants
and art museums in Shanghai, where researchers were
based. Conversations with arts professionals (members
of staff or independent visual artists) were initiated by
sharing information about the research project and asking
interested individuals to participate in the research. After
each interview, the researchers requested interviewees
to share additional contacts of arts professionals. The
researchers also reached out to art community founders to
ask for contacts of potential interviewees. Initial contacts
acted as gatekeepers; however, as all interviewees were
from different organizations or were independent artists,
no official “site” gatekeeper approval was required. All
interviewees provided consent to be included and named
in this paper.
Figure 2. Gender of survey participants
Next, a survey was administered to professional
contemporary visual artists in China between February
and April 2024. The goal was to determine when artists
started using digital technologies and when they first used
AI, which digital tools and AI software they currently use,
and their experiences of using AI. The survey contained 35
questions, and 110 participants completed the survey. The
sample was stratified to include only professional Chinese
contemporary visual artists living and working in China.
The survey was distributed through social media platforms
and nationwide online art groups, including Yimo art
group, RaidenINST, Super Topic of Digital Art, and Super
Topic of New Media Art on Weibo. The survey was shared
in these online groups, forums, and super topics after
permission was obtained from group administrators.
Participants accessed the survey through a QR code, which
directed them to an introduction page that outlined the
research and its aims, explained key terms in the survey,
and described the participation criteria. Participants
provided consent by ticking a box. Figures 1-3 present Figure 3. Residence location of survey participants
details about the age, gender, and residence of the survey
participants, respectively.
industry, cultural development, digital development, and
The researchers conducted a systematic review of AI. The keywords used for sorting and filtering documents
government policies implemented between 2016 and 2023. included “digitization,” “cultural development,” “AI,”
The review covered topics such as the contemporary art “digital technology,” “contemporary art industry,” “artists,”

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 4 doi: 10.36922/ac.3822