Composer and researcher Dr Ciaran Frame has been named the inaugural recipient of the $100,000 Betty Amsden Fellowship, the largest award of its kind supporting innovation in arts business and operations.

Established by the Betty Amsden Foundation, the biennial Fellowship supports the development of game-changing ideas in performing arts management, with an emphasis on innovation and long-term sector sustainability.

Frame will use the Fellowship to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be ethically and practically applied to strengthen the operational systems that sustain a thriving creative sector.

Ciaran Frame. Portrait @ Jon McCormack

“The arts can’t afford to be left behind in the AI revolution. This Fellowship is about providing fundraisers, marketers and producers with the tools and skills to make AI work for them,” Frame said, adding that his research will focus on how AI can ease pressure on an overstretched workforce by streamlining grant writing and personalising donor engagement, as well as improving ticketing access and enhancing data-driven marketing to help arts organisations boost their audience reach.

Foundation Chair Frankie Airey said the Fellowship arrives at a pivotal moment for the...