A view from Brussels: Creative and AI, a case of David and Goliath?

The circle of EU policy stakeholders who matter in artificial intelligence just expanded. Right now, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micaleff is looking for input to help design an upcoming AI strategy for the cultural and creative sectors.

In 2024, cultural goods valued at 31.5 billion euros were exported outside the EU, according to Eurostat. The European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance, which represents European high-end cultural and creative associations, says European high-end and luxury industries accounted for over 70% of the global market in 2024.

The Commission also notes that the sector contributes to AI development "by providing fair access to high-quality sectorial data." A dedicated data space, Common European data space for cultural heritage, will make over 30 million licensed digital cultural objects for AI training available by 2030. 

So, unsurprisingly, the call for evidence is hitting a nerve and people have — strong — views, indicated empirically by the high number of contributions already received. 

A lot has been done already by Brussels in the "AI strategy" category: the Apply AI strategy aims to support AI uptake in strategic sectors including the creative and cultural sector; the AI Act introduces transparency obligations that have just kicked in, and it reinforces compliance with copyright law in the context of AI.

But Micaleff sees that more needs to be addressed. 

First, he identifies three buckets of legal and economic challenges: the licensing of copyrighted works for AI uses — another branch of the Commission is looking at the licensing and enforcement of copyright in the context of AI, as part of the potential review of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive; the unauthorized use of artists’ image and voice; and the propagation of AI-generated content.

Second, he also points to risks related to the impact of AI technologies on cultural and linguistic diversity and the discoverability of European cultural content: algorithmic biases, training data that is not diversified enough, proportion of mainstream content or languages; the need for AI literacy, upskilling and reskilling.

So, what may come of this initiative? Nothing legislative, but a dedicated AI strategy in 2027, around three pillars: innovation and competitiveness, which aligns with the top-level EU strategy across sectors; actions to support fair business models and ethical use of AI in the cultural and creative sector; and capacity building and skills for the successful digital and AI transition across the sector.  

The Commission already set the guiding principles for this upcoming strategy. One is clearly marching orders for the highest Commission level: it should support the long-term sustainability and EU sovereignty of the creative economy. Others are to be expected, whether putting humans at the center of the reflection, or promoting Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity. 

Beyond its expected results, I see this discussion on AI's impact — for good and for bad — on the cultural and creative sector as being potentially a powerful one, one that can help anchor at least part of the AI debate in terms of human legacy.