The Initiative on Art & Innovation

This initiative explores the frontier between value and one of the most distinctly human capabilities: the creation of meaning. How can art – perhaps the finest act of meaning-making – help leaders and entrepreneurs make sense of a changing world and build things that truly matter? And conversely: how is art and creativity itself being transformed in the age of AI and digitalization?

Art by Ulrika Sparre – Art Initiative – Stockholm School of Economics

Welcome to The Initiative on Art & Innovation

Here, we study both art in innovation, and innovation in art.

Our inquiries are guided by a core insight: that the creation of meaning - and meaningful things - is the most elevated of human capabilities.

Art in Innovation and leadership

In the age of AI and digitalization, what is the most precious and rare asset? Not information, not data, not ideas. These are plentiful and easily accessible. What makes the difference is the capacity to make sense of this overflow of information and possibilities, to find a meaningful direction, and to concretely move organizations and society forward.

How can we cut through the noise, craft a meaningful vision, and step into it together?

Art can come to our rescue as one of the most powerful carriers of meaning-making. Art helps us resonate with the subtle vibrations of the outer and inner world. Art is interpretation - a collective invitation to listen, to imagine, to narrate, to connect, to move.

Inspired by the F.R.E.E. educational mission of the Stockholm School of Economics, and in close dialogue with its unique Art Initiative and our artists in residence, the Initiative on Art and Innovation:

designs new practices of meaning-making through the arts, to support the creation of new visions and the transformation of organizations.
experiments with and pioneers the application of those practices in real organizational contexts
studies how they shape the growth of human capabilities and the creation of value.

“Visioning by Art” workshop - Stockholm School of Economics

Innovation in Art

Cultural and creative industries are in the midst of an unprecedented wave of innovation. New technologies, especially generative AI and digital platforms, are weaving into the creative streams of artists and creators, redefining how artworks (music, images, videos, books, games, …) are created, how they are experienced, and their value in people’s life.

What is the future of the cultural and creative industries?

The Initative on Art and Innovation, in close collaboration with global research teams, industry leaders and artists, addresses key questions about creativity in the age of AI:

Value Creation: What new art experiences are emerging and what is their impact? How can art and creativity be elevated, rather than diluted, by technology?
Creative Processes: How is the identity and profile of the artist changing? What new talent is emerging? How is the collaborative process of creating, producing, and distributing art being redefined – and how are artists and audiences finding new ways to connect?
Novel Business Models: How is technology reshaping creative ecosystems? How will creative value be monetized, protected, and redistributed? If generative AI makes creation a commodity, what remains scarce and precious - and where does new value lie? How are LLMs increasing the value of creative assets (e.g. music catalogues, styles, voices, characters …) and how are digital media creating markets for these assets?
Creativity Across Industry Borders: how are traditional genre categories being redefined - or transcended altogether? How are different creative industries interacting in novel ways, across music, video, visual art, and games? How is art and culture expanding into new spaces, such as education and healthcare?

We have a dedicated initiative on the Future of Music. Sweden – and Stockholm in particular – is a world-class hub for music, in terms of artists, producers and technologies alike, and we are fortunate to be deeply immersed in this exceptional ecosystem.

Who we are

Roberto Verganti, The Josefsson Family Chair in Art and Innovation, Professor – Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Visiting Lecturer at the Harvard Business School. Director – Initative for Art and Innovation. Roberto studies the role of the arts in meaning making, and the future of music.

Riccardo Masiero, PhD Student - Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Riccardo is studying “doubt” as a source of meaning making and generative change, with a special focus on the role of artifacts.

Jonas Bonnier, PhD Student - Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Jonas is studying the value of “originality” in the storytelling industries.

Michael Storåkers, PhD Student - Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Michael is studying the value of “provenance” in the secondary art market.

Anna Loverus, PhD Student - Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Anna is studying the role of the arts in foresight and in supporting action, with a focus on music.

Upcoming events:

8 June 2026 – Radical Innovation in the Creative Industries, Paper Development Workshop at the Stockholm School of Economics

24 April 2026 – The Future of Music: Creativity, Innovation and Music in the Age of AI. As part of the Stockholm Music Week.

Recent Events

5 March 2026 - Future Sounds: a Nordic-Austrian Dialogue on Next-Era Music Export.

17 November 2025 - Visioning by Art: a Research Vernissage on the Art of Creating Meaning

Selected Publications

Paola Bellis, Claudio Dell’Era and Roberto Verganti "Reframing through New Minds: how External Experts unlock Problem Reframing through Reasoning Logics", Journal of Product Innovation Management, 9 March 2026.
Roberto Verganti, Claudio Dell’Era, and Kenneth Scott Swan, “Design Thinking: Critical Analysis and Future Evolution”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol 38, n.6, 603-622, Dec 2021.
Roberto Verganti, Luca Vendraminelli, and Marco Iansiti, “Innovation and Design in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol 37, n.3, May 2020: 212-227. Most accessed article on JPIM in since 2020, Awarded the Albert Page Award and the Abbie Griffin High Impact Award.
Roberto Verganti, Overcrowded – Designing Meaningful Products in a World Awash with Ideas. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2017.
Roberto Verganti, “The Innovative Power of Criticism – Judgment, not ideation, is the key to breakthroughs”, Harvard Business Review, Volume 95, Number 1, pp. 88-95, January-February 2016.
Roberto Verganti, Design-Driven Innovation – Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating what Things Mean. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2009. Nominated by the Academy of Management for the Terry Book Award.

Contact us

Roberto Verganti, The Josefsson Family Chair in Art and Innovation, Professor – Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. Director – Initative on Art and Innovation.

roberto.verganti@hhs.se