FERA endorses “Art Is Human!” manifesto for the protection of authentic creation by Canadian member ARRQ

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On 9 June 2025, FERA associate member Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ) and five other Quebec unions representing more than 25 000 artists, creators, performers, craftspeople and technicians in the audiovisual and music industries came together to release their “Manifesto for the Protection of Authentic Creation.”

This initiative is fully supported by a wide variety of representative professional organisations at national level, including FERA associate member Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), and international and European organisations such as FERA, FSE and FIA. It is part of a global solidarity movement in response to the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

The manifesto questions the race for innovation and reaffirms the value of art and artists in the face of the threats posed by generative AI. It follows three core principles that must guide the responsible and cautious development of AI tools.

— Innovation is not synonymous with progress. Current AI developments prioritise power and profit rather over creativity. As long as they do not benefit everybody, they are only an illusion of progress.

— Art is of a distinct nature. AI reproduces our social biases, perpetuates our clichés, and reflects dominant ideologies. To safeguard the diversity of cultural expressions, art must remain human.

— AI is not a revolution, but an evolution. Canadian governments must act quickly to develop a thoughtful, collaborative framework that ensures the ethical and respectful development of AI.

The manifesto calls on the Quebec and Canadian governments to defend art and culture internationally and to support the development of an additional protocol to the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

At a national level, it urges the establishment of a regulatory framework based on the ART (Authorisation, Remuneration, Transparency) principle, and the reinforcement of Canada’s Copyright Act to ensure that only human creation is eligible for copyright protection, with text and data mining (TDM) never being treated as a possible exception.

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To go further

Read and sign the manifesto: https://lartesthumain.com/en/