The UNESCO Culture Sector has released the Report of the Independent Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, examining how AI is reshaping cultural creation, access, and preservation worldwide. Prepared for the Barcelona MONDIACULT 2025 conference, the report acknowledges the profound technological challenges facing humanity and positions culture at the intersection of technological innovation and sustainable development. The report's purpose is twofold: to promote the responsible use of AI in safeguarding and advancing culture, and to strengthen the skills and capacities of cultural actors to engage effectively with these technologies.
The report highlights examples of AI preserving endangered languages and supporting heritage conservation, demonstrating the technology's potential benefits. However, it identifies critical concerns around power concentration, data imbalance, and lack of governance, noting that these systems were built at scale before asking who benefits and who gets erased. The expert group examined key challenges related to cultural rights, fair remuneration, and the protection of cultural diversity in the digital age, with special attention to how algorithmic systems influence expression, visibility, and representation—especially for marginalized communities.
The report informed discussions at MONDIACULT 2025, held in Barcelona from September 29 to October 1, 2025, where the final document approved by ministers and delegations proposed protecting creators against the impact of artificial intelligence to avoid situations of precariousness and digital exploitation. Key recommendations include integrating principles of transparency, consent, and remuneration into AI development, while advocating for the development of indicators to assess its impact on culture and artists.
The full report is available here.
use.pick by the use team