FERA CEO at European Parliament to provide input on upcoming “Cultural and Creative Sectors in the age of AI” report

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On 02 March, in the context of the own-initiative report on “Cultural and Creative Sectors in the age of AI” by the Cultural Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, FERA, along with stakeholders from the audiovisual, music, and other creative sectors, was invited to provide its input. CEO Julie Belgrado called on the member of the European Parliament in charge of the file Zoltan Tarr to deliver an ambitious report grounded in human-centric innovation, cultural diversity and social fairness.

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FERA does fully align with and strongly support what colleagues representing rightsholders and authors have already clearly stated, and will continue to emphasise:

— Existing legislation must be strictly implemented, respected, and enforced

— We encourage all MEPs to support the adoption of the Voss report in plenary next week.

— The rights of authors and performers to authorise and be fairly remunerated for the use of their works, as well as robust transparency and labelling obligations under the AI Act, are non-negotiable preconditions for any credible strategy on AI in the Cultural and Creative Sectors.

Creativity is not instantaneous. Mastering a craft requires experimentation, failure, peer learning and gradual improvement. The award-winning directors we celebrate today did not emerge overnight; they developed through years of trial and error. If AI tools begin to replace key stages of learning and experimentation for reasons of speed or budget, we risk removing vital entry points for emerging talents. The result will be fewer diverse voices and a profession accessible only to a limited few.

We must also be clear-eyed about employment. Increasing production pressures — doing more in less time with fewer resources — combined with automation, will inevitably affect jobs in the audiovisual sector. This has consequences not only for individual careers, but for entire family incomes, as it risks wiping out the steady “bread-and-butter” jobs that many screen directors depend on to support their families.

We need proactive reskilling and upskilling strategies tailored to the sector, alongside a balanced, human-centric approach that ensures AI supports rather than replaces creative professionals.

We must also acknowledge the growing risk of algorithmic uniformity. AI systems trained on dominant datasets tend to reproduce dominant patterns. This threatens cultural diversity, pluralism and genuine choice. Supporting prominence and discoverability of diverse European works remains essential if we want to avoid a streamlined and standardised cultural landscape.

As for public funding, it must follow strict rules and set a clear example. Cultural works generated entirely by AI should not be eligible for public support. Projects integrating AI should demonstrate that the impact on creators has been carefully assessed and responsibly addressed. Transparency requirements should be embedded in funding criteria to safeguard authorship, artistic integrity and Europe’s cultural diversity. We should not finance innovation that weakens the very creators our policies are meant to protect.

Finally, sustainability cannot be ignored. While our sector works hard to reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to Green Deal objectives, large-scale AI systems rely on energy-intensive data centres. Environmental responsibility must therefore be part of the policy framework, and major technology actors must also be held accountable.

This report shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. It must align with broader initiatives such as the Culture Compass and AgoraEU, ensuring coherence across European cultural policy.

Europe has always stood for human-centric innovation, cultural diversity and social fairness. Our approach to AI in the Cultural and Creative Sectors must remain firmly rooted in these principles.

The path we choose today will shape not only our cultural sectors, but our cultural identity.

Thank you.