Culture, Democracy, Civil Rights and Copyright Protection in times of Artificial Intelligence

In June 2025, during the Genshagen Forum on Cultural Policies 2025, 20 experts from Poland, France und Germany discussed the implications of generative AI for the cultural and and the arts, society and the state  from the perspective of culture and media. They addressed crucial questions and challenges in dealing with artificial intelligence 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’ adopted by the participants. The proposals comprise 19 specific recommendations to contain the risks that the rapid development of generative AI in particular represents for society, democracy, the rule of law and European identity, while at the same time leveraging its potential for the arts, culture, media and cultural education. In order to protect European values and cultural diversity in Europe, a legislative framework is needed at European level.