The latest edition of Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity, UNESCO’s flagship monitoring report covering over 120 countries, warns that generative AI is expected to drive significant income losses for artists by 2028. The report highlights that the rapid adoption of AI-generated content in global markets is disrupting the creative sector faster than current policy measures can respond, exacerbating inequalities and threatening the livelihoods of millions of cultural workers.
Music creators could face revenue declines of up to 24 per cent, while those in the audiovisual sector may see income drops of around 21 per cent due to AI-generated outputs entering the marketplace. The shift toward digital production and consumption has created new opportunities but also intensified economic uncertainty, exposing creators to intellectual property violations and diminishing returns on their work.
Persistent global inequities further compound these challenges. While 67 per cent of people in developed countries have essential digital skills, only 28 per cent in developing countries possess comparable abilities. This digital divide, combined with the dominance of major streaming platforms and opaque algorithms that limit content visibility, is widening disparities among creators, especially in the Global South.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany emphasized that the current era represents a critical moment for the creative economy. The report details more than 8,100 policy measures and calls for urgent, coordinated action to protect creators’ rights, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and reinforce the cultural sector’s contribution to sustainable development.
UNESCO warns that without renewed investment, fairer market conditions, and stronger international cooperation, creators risk further marginalization as technologies evolve. The agency urges governments to prioritize cultural policy strategically, both to safeguard artists’ livelihoods and to ensure creativity continues to drive social cohesion, economic opportunity, and cultural diversity in a rapidly changing world.
