PHAROS AI Factory, Greece’s national ecosystem for accelerating Artificial Intelligence innovation, participated in the first annual MCA Forum: “Ready, Steady, Transform! Digital, cultural and creative collaboration for a sustainable and inclusive future”, held on 20-21 November 2025, in Paris, France.
Organised by the Michael Culture Association, a European network of more than 200 public and private organisations dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and valorisation of cultural heritage and co-funded by the European Union, the Forum brought together cultural professionals, artists, researchers, technologists, citizens, students, policy makers, and accessibility advocates to explore how digital culture can support more inclusive and sustainable societies.
Throughout the two-day event, participants engaged in interactive sessions, case studies, open roundtables and collaborative exchanges designed to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, co-creation, and new approaches to digital culture.
On the first day of the event, Prof. S. Kollias, Chairman of GRNET, Professor Emeritus at NTUA, PHAROS Project Coordinator & Board Member of MCA, delivered a keynote presentation titled “Introducing culture in AI factories” highlighting the role of AI factories in supporting cultural heritage innovation, digital transformation and cross-domain collaboration. During his presentation, he showcased how emerging AI Factory infrastructures, such as PHAROS, enable advanced AI and HPC services for research, creativity, and cultural institutions, enhancing preservation, accessibility, and cultural knowledge-sharing. He also emphasised the importance of bridging cultural heritage with advanced technological ecosystems to empower more inclusive and sustainable digital futures.
Later the same day, Prof. Kollias co-moderated the parallel discussion “Digital, Culture & AI”, alongside Marco Fiore, Policy & Project Manager at MCA. The session explored how AI technologies intersect with digital culture, addressing issues related to ethics, accessibility and the responsible integration of these advanced technologies in cultural heritage ecosystems, particularly in relation to the new EU Culture Compass.
PHAROS’ presence at the Forum further strengthened its engagement with European cultural networks and highlighted its ongoing commitment to advancing the integration of Artificial Intelligence into cultural heritage practices. The event provided an important platform for sharing knowledge, identifying challenges and building new collaborations around ethical, sustainable and inclusive digital transformation.
More information about the Forum, including the full programme, is available here.
