The Doris Duke Foundation (DDF), in partnership with the Mozilla Foundation, has announced a $6.5 million commitment to their new initiative, Artists Make Technology (AMT), aimed at placing performing artists at the center of technological innovation. Launching on January 7, 2026, AMT seeks to dismantle systemic barriers that have historically excluded artists from shaping technology, including limited funding, siloed sectors, economic and geographic constraints, and weak policy pathways. The program will foster an integrated system linking artistic practice with tech-sector innovation.
AMT is structured around three core pillars: direct artist support, infrastructure building, and knowledge development. A $6 million investment will fund the second iteration of the Artists Make Technology Lab, providing up to 40 grants and technical support to performing artists and technologists. This lab will enable experimental, artist-led digital practices and applied technological research, empowering artists to drive innovation rather than simply adapt to technological change.
An additional $4 million will support AMT Pathways, offering bespoke programs where artists collaborate with Mozilla engineers to access legal, technical, and institutional tools that embed creativity into technology development. Pathways projects may include initiatives such as the Responsible Computing Challenge, Mozilla Common Voice, and net neutrality campaigns, designed to provide artists with practical, project-specific opportunities to influence technology design.
The remaining $1 million will fund AMT Assemblies, which convene artists, technologists, and funders to co-develop shared values, frameworks, and language, strengthening the field’s collective capacity to direct technology toward public benefit. Together, these pillars aim to create a replicable model for artist-led technological development, ensuring performing artists have a decisive voice in shaping the tools and policies that affect their work and livelihoods.
DDF and Mozilla emphasize that artists bring unique insights that enhance technological innovation, creativity, and cultural depth. By bridging the gap between the arts and technology, AMT intends to ensure that technological advancement benefits both creative practitioners and society at large, while also fostering equity, accessibility, and collaboration across disciplines.
