UNESCO Warns: Generative AI Threatens Creative Livelihoods and Equity
The AI Wave: Unpacking Revenue Losses for Creatives
UNESCO’s recent analysis signals a major shift for creative industries as generative AI tools scale. The report highlights projected revenue losses for music and audiovisual creators by 2028 and flags emerging artists as especially vulnerable. New AI models can reproduce styles and output high volumes of content at low cost, creating direct competition for income that many creatives rely on.
Policy Gaps and Global Disparities
Current intellectual property frameworks struggle to address content generated from large training datasets. Many countries lack clear rules on attribution, data provenance, and fair remuneration for creators whose work was used to train models. These gaps are more acute in the Global South, where limited infrastructure, weaker legal protections, and funding shortages make cultural workers especially exposed. UNESCO also notes persistent gender disparities in creative leadership that risk widening as AI reshapes work and revenue flows.
A Call for Collaborative and Equitable Action
UNESCO urges a mix of policy and market responses: stronger IP and transparency rules, social protections and bargaining power for creators, public investment in cultural ecosystems, and international cooperation on standards. The report recommends mechanisms that promote fair payment, protect artistic freedom, and increase the visibility of local voices in digital markets. Collaboration among governments, industry, unions, and cultural institutions is presented as the only realistic route to balance innovation with livelihood protection.
What This Means for London’s Creative Future
London’s creative sector sits at the intersection of innovation and tradition. Policymakers and industry leaders should support local creators through funding, procurement that values human-authored work, and participation in rule-setting. For cultural workers the takeaway is clear: adapt tools strategically, advocate for stronger rights and transparency, and work collectively to keep creativity both diverse and economically viable in the AI era.
Read UNESCO’s recommendations as a prompt for urgent, coordinated action rather than a prediction we cannot change.
