ARTificial Intelligence: The European cultural and creative industries in times of generative AI

During the Genshagen Forum on Cultural Policies 2025, from June 19 to June 21, 20 experts from Poland, France and Germany discussed the implications of generative AI for arts, culture, society and the state and developed future visions for the creation of favourable conditions for a responsible and creative approach to AI in Europe that benefits the general interest.  The forum resulted in the ‘Genshagen Proposals’, that were presented to the broader public at the Polish Embassy on 24 June 2025. 

The subsequent discussion focused on the risks that AI represents for the cultural and creative industries, but also on the chances and potentials that “human-centred” AI harbours for culture, democracy and civil rights in Europe. The rapid development of AI was identified as one a crucial challenge. Alongside fundamental questions of the commercial and often unrenumerated use of human-created works and achievements, the loss of knowledge and cultural techniques the risks of a “model collapse” resulting from the overabundance of AI-generated content were discussed.  

To counter these negative developments, the ‘Genshagen Proposals’ demand among others the setting up of an interdisciplinary AI ethics council at European level, obligatory, human-centred ethical guidelines for AI in all fields of education and last but not least the development of an independent European digital infrastructure, platforms and services. 

Partners: Polish Embassy in Berlin; Initiative Urheberrecht (Authors’ Rights Initiative)  

Supported by: VG Bild-Kunst