In late June, the Council for Culture published its recommendation Harness the power of creativity to advance AI. The council believes that AI has a significant impact on the creative sector. Below is a brief summary of the advisory report.
“Because Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a profound impact on our culture, it is important that AI works for us and not the other way around,” the council stated. “That is only possible if we protect the power of creativity and harness it to steer the rapid development of AI.” The council believes this requires urgent action, including from the government.
AI is becoming increasingly embedded in our daily lives: in the way we work, receive information, and perceive reality. AI has a major impact on the creative and cultural sectors. It is already being used on a massive scale in writing texts, composing and performing music, and creating images and videos.
AI can play a role in the creative process because AI models are trained on cultural data—that is, all the creative content produced over the centuries by writers, painters, designers, photographers, and other creators. The companies behind the development of generative AI are thus using our culture to fuel their own disruptive production process and revenue model.
AI can play a role in the creative process because the AI models have been trained on cultural data
On the one hand, creators see opportunities—AI is used extensively at every stage of the creative process. For example, when sparring partner, as an artistic co-creator, as the editor-in-chief of a book, as a tool to support a museum exhibition, as a way to encourage active public participation, and to facilitate access to archives. On the other hand, there are major concerns: AI technology is in the hands of a small group of—primarily—American companies with vast capital, whose values are at odds with European values and whose sole aim is to increase their own power and wealth.
There are also serious concerns about bias, the lack of cultural diversity, and the environmental impact of data centers
AI models are often trained using cultural data without the creators and rights holders having given their consent or received compensation. In addition, workers in the creative sector are noticing that the nature of their creative work is changing and that their professional practice is being negatively affected. There are also major concerns about bias, the lack of cultural diversity, and the environmental impact of the data centers needed to run the AI models.
Six Values
The council believes that the government, the cultural and creative sectors, and society as a whole must ensure that AI is used responsibly. The use of AI should be values-driven: it can be used in a meaningful way in the creation of cultural works, but essential values must always be safeguarded in the process.
The council therefore identifies six fundamental values of cultural and creative practice that must be central to the active protection of art and culture against the influence of AI:
1. Human Creativity
AI respects, safeguards, and fosters human creativity.
2. Creative Authorship
AI respects, safeguards, and protects the creative authorship of artists.
3. Quality of the Creative Labor Market
AI respects, protects, and promotes a fair labor market for artists.
4. Pluralism
AI fosters, protects, and contributes to artistic diversity.
5. Accessibility
AI respects, safeguards, and promotes free, broad, and accessible access to art and culture.
6. Artistic Freedom
AI respects and contributes to the existence of complete artistic freedom.
The impact of AI on creative and cultural practice should be positive rather than negative. Technology should contribute to a strong cultural and creative sector and to a rich and diverse arts and culture scene, rather than undermining them. The Council believes that the power of culture can be harnessed to foster a values-driven approach to AI and advocates for actively shaping the development of AI. This requires protecting the fundamental values of culture and creativity and leveraging the power of creativity. In doing so, the sector needs protection against the excesses of the current AI industry; furthermore, the sector must be given the freedom to utilize the technology appropriately, which requires building knowledge and creating space for experimentation.
The impact of AI on creative and cultural practice should be positive rather than negative
To ensure that AI is used in a way that protects fundamental values and harnesses its potential, the council has formulated recommendations that are summarized under three pillars.
I. Fostering Creativity: Alternative Technology, Research, and Experimentation
II. Working Toward a Resilient and Robust Sector
III. Strengthening the Cultural and Creative Labor Market
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