Art as Human Infrastructure

In an age shaped by artificial intelligence and technological acceleration, the most important infrastructure of Economy 5.0 is human. This book shows how art – through aesthetics, creativity, narrative, and meaning – develops the human capacities that make ethical and sustainable societies possible. Art as Human Infrastructure argues that art is not a cultural addition to the economy but a formative force that shapes imagination, ethical sensitivity, and relational understanding. Through interdisciplinary chapters on aesthetic leadership, narrative leadership, communication ethics, creative labour, cultural diplomacy, spatial design, and human-AI interaction, the book demonstrates how artistic and aesthetic practices translate ESG values into lived organisational and social realities. By linking art, leadership, and sustainability, the volume offers a humanistic framework for understanding Economy 5.0 as a system grounded in meaning, dignity, and human flourishing.