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Providing an exclusive preview of her forthcoming monograph, Digital Soft Power of Heritage Media (Cambridge University Press), this headline keynote critically interrogates how the global media strategies of heritage institutions are being fundamentally reshaped and contested in the age of artificial intelligence. Moving beyond traditional paradigms of platformization, the presentation re-evaluates the three foundational dimensions of digital soft power—content, audiences, and narratives—through a critical media lens.
The session examines how digitized heritage content is modified by generative multi-modal models, how online audiences evolve from passive consumers into algorithmically mediated co-creators, and how curated heritage narratives are continuously challenged across automated digital ecosystems. Drawing on empirical computational insights from the Data To Power platform and recent frameworks in smart cultural data intelligence, the keynote deconstructs the political technologies and algorithmic governance shaping contemporary heritage diplomacy. By balancing the tensions between automated content generation and narrative authenticity, Prof. Grincheva exposes the risks of algorithmic bias alongside new possibilities for participatory heritage, offering an evidence-based roadmap for cultural institutions navigating generative AI.
In March 2026, Associate Professor Natalia Grincheva was featured by Global Times at the 5th Creativity 2030 International Forum in Beijing. Organised by the International Centre for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD) under the auspices of UNESCO, the summit constituted the first UNESCO-affiliated event in China dedicated to the theme of “AI + Culture,” convening over 150 leading thinkers from more than ten countries.
In her interview, Prof. Grincheva draws upon her extensive research across cultural policy, algorithmic governance, and international collaboration. She critically reflects on how institutional frameworks can harness AI for cultural progress without eroding diversity, deconstructing the risks of algorithmic homogenisation. As the lead investigator of multiple UNESCO-aligned projects focused on cultural data and the 2030 Agenda, she shares strategic insights into constructing future-ready cultural ecosystems, emphasizing that emerging technological tools must remain human-centred, inclusive, and globally conscious.
With over 80 presentations at leading international forums—spanning IPSA, ISA, ICA, ICCPR, AAAE, and ICOM—Associate Professor Natalia Grincheva has established an authoritative global voice at the nexus of digital humanities, cultural policy, and international relations. Her scholarly contributions consistently pioneer new paradigms, from theorizing “digital museum diplomacy” to advancing human-AI collaboration through platforms like Hallyu Tracker and Data To Power.
A highlight of this engagement was delivered at the 27th ICOM General Conference in Dubai—the flagship triennial gathering for the global museum community, convening over 4,500 cultural leaders from 110+ countries. At this milestone summit, Prof. Grincheva presented Data To Power: AI-Enabled Storytelling for Global Museum Influence. Co-developed with more than 25 international museums, including the V&A and the Asian Civilisations Museum, the platform transforms institutional APIs and social media metrics into actionable strategy by benchmarking collection reach against open-access global demographic and literacy data.
Associate Professor Natalia Grincheva’s portfolio of invited talks and guest lectures reflects her recognized authority across cultural analytics, digital soft power, and public diplomacy. She is regularly invited by intergovernmental bodies and national ministries—including UNESCO, the UN Statistics Division, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the British Council—to deliver expert insights on cultural indicators, artificial intelligence, and urban data governance.
For instance, at the international symposium “Korean Soft Power and Beyond” in Düsseldorf—co-organized by the Academy of International Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea—Prof. Grincheva unveiled the architecture behind the Hallyu Tracker. Addressing more than 60 international scholars, diplomats, and cultural leaders, she demonstrated how synthesizing 300+ datasets across 250 spatial mapping layers reveals nuanced global cultural flows. By presenting the platform's Reach, Appeal, and Engagement clusters alongside AI-driven sentiment analysis, she offered a reflexive, rigorous alternative to rigid soft power league tables.
Conceived by VR artist Benedict Yu alongside BA Arts Management students under Dr. Grincheva's mentorship, Echoes of the Bay is a flagship participatory virtual reality installation produced by LASALLE’s Culture Futures Lab. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s Our Singapore Fund, the project transformed community oral histories of migration and belonging into 3D digital vessels drifting in a shared virtual sea.
Engaging hundreds of participants across the Singapore Night Festival and Singapore Design Week, the installation earned rapid global recognition. It was featured at UC Davis’s Meaningful XR Conference, the 12th International Digital Storytelling Conference in São Paulo, and took the international stage at the 2026 Ars Electronica Festival in Austria, receiving an Honorable Mention in the Campus Exhibition. The work showcases how immersive media can serve as an instrument of community memory and minoritized cultural preservation.
The deployment of the Data To Power architecture—including the Hallyu Tracker and Museum Soft Power Map—has spurred invited demonstrations for major governments, intergovernmental bodies, and cultural leaders worldwide.
Among these demonstrations, Associate Professor Natalia Grincheva led a high-impact session of the SDG Cultural Observatory application within the Decision Making Theatre. Convening executive leaders and policymakers from across the Asia-Pacific, the exercise offered an interactive model for measuring culture’s role in sustainable development. Addressing data vacuums in UNESCO’s Culture | 2030 Indicators, Prof. Grincheva showcased how open-source proxies, satellite data, and machine learning quantify cultural vitality across four domains: Environment & Resilience, Prosperity & Livelihood, Knowledge & Skills, and Inclusion & Participation.
The session paired predictive intelligence with four creative digital installations—ranging from VR environmental dance to neural-interface painting—enabling participants to run scenario-based policy simulations and prototype future city governance.