P3R, exploring ethical approaches to AI in live performance
Part of the BRAID research programme exploring responsible use of AI, CoSTAR’s 'P3R: Performance, Participation, Provenance and Reward' is a £1 million demonstrator project exploring how ethical approaches to AI can support new models for live performance across the UK.
In 2025 CoSTAR National Lab won a research grant from the UKRI funded Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID).
BRAID seeks to enrich, expand, and connect a mature, sustainable and responsible AI ecosystem by leveraging the power of the arts and humanities to enable more humane inspired, equitable and resilient forms of AI innovation.
P3R which stands for Performance, Participation, Provenance and Reward will galvanise new and developing creative talent and some of the UK’s most innovative companies around new approaches to live performance enabled by the next generation of responsible AI tools and services.
Building out and learning from previous CoSTAR research projects including ACCCT and the Grass Roots Innovation Challenge, P3R will conduct new research in: live performance, ethical approaches to data, and software and blockchain development in order to develop an audience facing demonstrator for testing in 2027.
P3R is divided into a series of six stages, the first two of which, Performance AI Futures and Ethical Data, have recently been completed.
Performance AI Futures
Performance AI Futures develops a state of the art understanding of Responsible AI fusing academic and industry understanding through a series of semi-strutured practitioner and venue interviews and a worldbuilding programme around performance that develops ethical use of data around AI.
Ethical Data
Ethical Data develops and uses a Design Fiction (a provocative view of the future) to understand the audience appetite for collaborative governance mechanisms. These mechanisms (of control, consent and compensation) form the basis for exploring new forms of value that arise from their use – for audiences, artists and venues alike.
P3R has developed a series of design fictions in order to test responses to the potential use of AI across the UK's live performance economy. This is one of them:
Enabling Provenance extends the development of a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) based provenance infrastructure to include both assets and identity. Drawing on learning re audience appetite for governance mechanisms, the infrastructure will employ those appropriate for enhancing audience engagement and implement a micro-rewards system.
We will then draw on CoSTAR National Lab infrastructure and open innovation frameworks to develop testable pilots with UK based creative companies.
Developed pilots will be scaled into a production environment demonstrator. It develops and tests outcomes into a portable and responsive package that trials innovative forms and approaches to performance.
The final stage will be Analysis and Testing: working with the CoStar User Futures team, this work package will analyse outcomes towards a report about the use of responsible AI in performance.
