The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) are undergoing a deep transformation driven by digitalization and immersive technologies, yet smaller creative actors face significant barriers like high entry costs and the potential threat of AI to human creativity. AMPLIFY addresses the critical lack of accessible, open-source immersive tools by focusing on music as a universal language to empower underrepresented cultural communities. The project’s overall objectives center on creating novel human-centered "phygital" (physical-digital) experiences. This is achieved through the development of AMPLIFY CREATIVE (formerly, PORTABLE), an AI-driven production tool for community-level co-creation, and AMPLIFY IMMERSIVE, a toolset utilizing volumetric video and spatial audio to reach remote audiences. These tools are validated through real-world pilot trials across Europe (Gaelic folk culture in the UK, concerts for babies in Portugal, Augmented Reality concerts in Italy and opera co-creation in Spain) to ensure adaptability and foster CCI sustainability. AMPLIFY’s pathway to impact follows a multi-dimensional strategy designed to ensure that European Cultural and Creative Industries CCIs lead a human-centered digital transition. Scientifically, the project advances TRLs for open-source AI and XR tools, sharing findings through high-impact journals and international conferences. Economically, it focuses on the sector’s "long tail" of small and micro-organisations democratizing access to immersive tools that have high costs. By promoting remote "phygital" collaboration, AMPLIFY simultaneously addresses environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint associated with creative travel.
