10 November 2026
Last update:12 November 2026
Responsible use of AI
How can we protect cultural diversity and creative autonomy in the age of generative AI? This is the central question driving CULTURAI. Particular attention is given to ethics, governance, labour market impact, inclusivity and AI literacy, responding to four gaps that currently limit the cultural sector’s ability to benefit from AI. UNESCO’s contribution focuses in particular on closing the absence of value-driven governance frameworks that protect diversity, pluralism and freedom of expression.
As one of the eleven consortium partners, UNESCO leads the project’s comparative review of AI governance frameworks and initiatives specific to the cultural sector in seven jurisdictions: the European Union, Australia, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. UNESCO will also design a survey of some 800 audiovisual professionals (film, television, radio, video and on-demand services) in LIST COUNTRIES to examine how AI is affecting their creative autonomy and working conditions. The result of the survey will contribute to developing policy recommendations on AI in the European cultural and creative industries.
We recognize that the future of responsible AI governance depends on moving from principles to practical implementation, and culture is no exception. Through CULTURAI, UNESCO will help build the knowledge, tools and partnerships needed to translate ethical AI commitments into effective action for the cultural sector. By doing so, artists, cultural professionals and institutions everywhere can fully benefit from AI while safeguarding creativity and cultural diversity.
Nayef Al-FayezAssistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO
UNESCO’s work builds on its standard-setting instruments, including Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2021), the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the2015 Recommendations on museums and on documentary heritageand the MONDIACULT 2025 Outcome Document. These UNESCO frameworks identify the relationship between culture and AI as a theme of growing relevance. Through its global reach, the Organization will help feed the project’s findings into broader international policy dialogue on AI and culture.
International consortium
The CULTURAI project is carried out by an international consortium of universities, research institutes and cultural organisations from Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Coordinated by KB National Library, the consortium includes Delft University of Technology, the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Monash University European Research Foundation ETS, the University of Luxembourg, the University of Edinburgh, the University of the Witwatersrand, the Europeana Foundation, IDEA Consult and the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) and UNESCO. Within the consortium, UNESCO brings a global perspective on AI governance and cultural policy, connecting the project’s results to intergovernmental policy processes.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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