Dr. El Asaleh is an Associate Professor at Graphic Communications Management at The Creative School at Ryerson University in Canada. She is a member of Ryerson’s graduate studies under the Master of the Digital Media Program and Ph.D. in Media and Design Innovation Programs within The Creative School. Her multidisciplinary knowledge in computer science and graphic communication was shown in her multiple research project that elaborates around issues that concerns the graphic arts industry. Her area of Academic Interest is in Color and Imaging Science, Emerging Pre-Media Technologies, and Digital Asset Management.

Integrated Technologies In the Creative Arts Industries, Systematic Review, Challenges and Outlook

Areej Syeda & Reem El Asaleh, Ryerson University

Automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), and Big Data are more than modern terms, these technologies have created new potential innovations within the workplace, and it has been ruling many aspects of our daily life. Artificial Intelligence can be defined as “the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production and delivery of products and services” (International Society of Automation, n.d.). Essentially, automation substitutes mundane or physically difficult labor by limiting human involvement. This technological-industrial integration has been, once again, revolutionizing our means of production, increasing productivity as never before.

Businesses and economies worldwide can benefit from this integration into their workplaces. The results will not be immediate, but the long-term benefits are significant for companies. McKinsey (2019) stated that “the automation of activities can enable businesses to improve performance by reducing errors, improving quality and speed, and in some cases achieving outcomes that go beyond human capabilities”.

Industry 4.0 is here and it is growing, however, it also brings certain concerns for the general population. The substitution of workplace labor by machines has unshackled workers to focus on higher-value tasks or establish new ones, which leaves an uncertain future scenario for the availability of work. Many employees fear that there will not be enough jobs with the increasing integration of automation and artificial intelligence in the workplace or some jobs will become obsolete. Moreover, larger firms will have an advantage over smaller businesses since there is greater access to resources, more structured data, employees with advanced technical skills to learn AI, and increased returns for cost and revenue.

Seeking this, many individuals are already looking forward towards the Fifth Industrial Revolution. Nahavandi (2019) defines it as “where robots are intertwined with the human brain and work as collaborators instead of competitors”. Increased efficiency and intelligence systems are combined with human labor, which comes back to the fold 10 times over, to create revolutionary machinery in Industry 5.0. This research study will go deeper into the transition between Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, examining the challenges and opportunities that these technologies present to businesses in the Creative Industries.

This Technical Innovation Paper will showcase background information about promising technologies that are already taking place in the industry nowadays and discuss its use within Industry 5.0, a new production model that emerges as a favourable alternative for the future of our society. A systematic literature review will be employed in order to construct a base from different authors and perspectives, and draw conclusions based on the evidence presented. The research question to be answered is as follows, “In the Creative Industries, do the implementations of Integrated Technologies have an impact on the quality of performance and customer satisfaction of organizations who have adopted them in the previous 10 years?”. The paper will employ a systematic review to critically evaluate relevant literature and focus on contemporary applications in various Creative Industry Sectors such as Graphic Arts, Graphic Communications, Packaging, Printing, and others. This information will benefit those within the Creative Industries and those who are considering the implementation of AI within their respective businesses. It will explore the numerous benefits and drawbacks associated with the usage of Integrated Technologies, as well as their impact within the Creative Arts industry, focusing on performance quality and customer satisfaction.
The information presented in this study is especially important, as it will provide contributions for further research in this field, given the scarcity of prior research on the subject. It is the first to provide a systematic review with clear definitions of emerging technologies such as Automation, AI, IoT, ML, and Big Data, as well as a holistic approach to discussing the implementation of Integrated Technologies in the Creative Industries, thereby making available evidence more accessible and advancing the Creative Industries forward.

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