Meet the Advisory Board - Luca Baraldi

The first Advisory Board meeting of the DIGICHer project was held on 24th of April and introduced its mission to support equitable digitisation of cultural heritage among minority communities, with a focus on the Sámi, Jewish, and Ladin groups. Key discussions addressed the ethical, legal, and socio-economic challenges surrounding the digital representation and reuse of cultural heritage, using case studies such as the Sámi's depiction in the Frozen movie and the Lithuanian Jewish archives. Emphasis was placed on intellectual property rights, community involvement, and the need for culturally sensitive frameworks. 

Today, we are talking to one of the Advisory Board Members - Luca Baraldi. Luca is an AI Policy Advisor and Scientific coordinator. He is a strategic analyst and tech policy expert working at the crossroads of geopolitics, innovation, and collective responsibility. He advises companies, foundations, and institutions on AI, digital platforms, and public diplomacy, while collaborating with universities and think tanks on the cultural and social impacts of technology

Luca Baraldi

1. Can you share a memory or personal experience related to cultural heritage that has stayed with you?
Years ago, I worked on organizing the parish archives of small, remote churches. Places that seemed insignificant at first glance, yet preserved a detailed, precise, and powerful memory of the micro-history of their territory. I decided to organize a public evening to share this rediscovered history with the local community, composed mainly of elderly residents. I vividly remember the emotion in the room as we revisited old stories and read aloud texts written by the parish priests 50 or 60 years earlier. That moment taught me that history must live outside museums; it must take responsibility for speaking directly to people. The concept of a “heritage community,” as described in the Faro Convention, is not just about governance. It’s about cultural proximity and social intimacy.

2. What inspired you to get involved with the DIGICHer project and what excites you the most about its mission?
I believe the concept of "minority" needs to be rethought. It is often seen as a statistical condition, but in truth, it says nothing about a community’s ability to influence or shape a cultural system. Quite the opposite: cultural value often comes from what exists outside the mainstream. Minority cultures frequently offer the dissonant notes, the unexpected perspectives that are essential to cultural evolution. Without them, cultural development as we know it wouldn’t have been possible. They are the antidote to the flattening effect of hegemonic systems.

3. In your view, why in current times is it important to focus on the digital preservation of minority cultural heritage?
Today more than ever, in a world increasingly shaped by mass consumption and the monetization of information flows, minority cultures help protect alternative voices. It’s crucial to promote their central role at a time when we risk equating statistical representation with cultural relevance, which should be considered as a dangerous correlation. We must not make that mistake.

4. What unique perspective or experience do you bring to the Advisory Board?
My perspective is rooted in years of global experience, particularly in Latin America and, more recently, Africa, working on issues of decolonization and socio-cultural recontextualization. Perhaps my main contribution is the ability to move beyond the politicization of culture and instead foster a reflection on cultural evolution as a history of power dynamics, how power is distributed, challenged, and transformed. Cultural heritage, in this view, becomes a tool for balance, resilience, and sometimes the very survival of entire communities.

5. If you could imagine the future of cultural heritage 10 years from now, what would you hope to see?
I hope to see a renewed appreciation for cultural interaction. Not as a form of compulsive cultural consumption, but as an opportunity for personal and collective growth. I imagine a future in which we rediscover the value of slowness in engaging with heritage, the challenging pleasure of deep study, and the essential cognitive richness of sensory experience. Cultural heritage should inspire us not only to preserve but to evolve.