October 2026
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This conference examined next steps for the development and use of artificial intelligence and other technologies across the UK’s creative industries. The agenda examined priorities across innovation, growth and responsible use.
It brought together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss practical support for technology adoption, investment in research and regional scale-up, and skills and workforce transition. Delegates considered opportunities around the licensing and commercialisation of creative content and cultural assets, alongside issues for copyright, transparency and protections for creators, audiences and individuals.
The discussion took place in the context of the AI Adoption Plan: Creative Industries, which sets out recommendations for wider and responsible use of AI; UKRI’s R&D strategy for the creative and cultural economy, with its focus on research, innovation and growth; and the Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, alongside continued implementation of the Creative Industries Sector Plan.
As use of AI and related technologies develops across creative work, production, distribution and commercial activity, delegates assessed implications for creative businesses and creators, technology providers, platforms, cultural institutions, research organisations and rights holders - as well as frameworks for collaboration between the creative and technology sectors.
Practical adoption of AI across creative industries
We expected discussion on the AI Adoption Plan’s augmentation-first approach and its emphasis on the use of AI to support - rather than replace - human creativity and creative decision-making. Delegates considered what this means in practice for UK creative businesses, cultural organisations and individual creators, including approaches to building confidence in AI tools and supporting their use in day-to-day creative and commercial activity.
Further discussion looked at what will be needed to support wider adoption across the sector, including access to guidance, standards, skills, finance and technical support. Attendees considered how organisations can move beyond experimentation and pilot projects towards wider adoption across creative and commercial workflows. Priorities were also discussed for ensuring that adoption is practical and accessible for freelancers, microbusinesses and smaller cultural organisations.
Further sessions focused on infrastructure requirements for the next phase of development, including access to testing environments, computing capacity and specialist support networks. This included applications for virtual production, immersive technologies and use of other emerging tools, and the role they might play in supporting innovation, productivity and new forms of creative practice across different parts of the sector.
Investment, commercialisation & regional growth
The conference considered implementation of UKRI’s strategy and funding commitments for the creative and cultural economy, including priorities for moving research, development and early-stage experimentation towards wider commercial use. Drawing on Future avenues for createch: insights and recommendations, discussion examineed scale-up finance, creative technology infrastructure, commercialisation and links between intellectual property policy, investment and growth.
Delegates examined strategies for place-based R&D investment and for strengthening creative clusters across the UK. They considered approaches to connecting research organisations, creative businesses, local authorities, technology providers and investors, including access to finance, IP-backed lending, shared facilities and support for businesses seeking to reach wider markets.
Licensing, data use & new revenue models
Delegates considered licensing and data access, including use of creative works and cultural assets in AI training, in terms of commercial opportunity alongside safeguards and protection. Discussion included approaches to licensing that support innovation while fostering sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between creative and technology sectors.
We expected the Creative Content Exchange pilot to inform discussion on approaches to licensing digitised cultural and creative assets at scale. This included potential arrangements that support lawful and proportionate access to material while enabling creators, rights holders and cultural institutions to retain control, develop new revenue streams, secure fair remuneration, and support the long-term sustainability of creative markets.
Attendees also examined collective licensing, technical tools and standards, and options for improving transparency around the source and use of creative works in AI development. Further discussion was expected on access to public and other datasets, alongside practical issues for organisations supplying, using or managing creative content and data.
Skills, training & workforce transition
Delegates discussed priorities for building creative and technical capability across the sector, including education and training pathways, leadership development, and support for workers and freelancers adapting to new workflows. Discussion considered approaches to skills development in the context of changing creative and commercial practices, including implications for employers, educators, freelancers and individual creators.
The agenda also examined how barriers affecting participation in technology adoption could be addressed, in areas such as capacity, confidence, finance and uneven access to support. This included widening access for smaller businesses, early-career creators and under-represented groups, alongside implications for job quality, entry routes and longer-term workforce development.
Copyright, AI training & creator protections
With copyright, AI training and AI-generated content continuing to raise unresolved issues, delegates assessed how policy, regulation and industry practice can support innovation while maintaining confidence in creative markets. Discussion was informed by the Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, including its consideration of licensing, transparency, technical standards, and mechanisms for creators to control use of their work online.
Further discussion was expected on the planned taskforce on AI labelling and approaches to helping audiences understand when content has been made or materially altered using AI, including the role of transparency in supporting consumer confidence and trust in creative content and markets. Attendees also considered forthcoming work on digital replicas - AI-generated reproductions of a person’s voice or likeness - including options for addressing unauthorised use while allowing legitimate creative and commercial applications.
The conference examined priorities for a responsible AI framework for the creative industries, including practical standards, proportionate safeguards and clear expectations for organisations developing, supplying and using AI tools. This included consideration of the respective interests of creators, performers, rights holders, technology businesses, platforms, cultural organisations and the public.
As well as key stakeholders those attending included a parliamentary pass-holder from the House of Commons and officials from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Intellectual Property Office; and Ofcom.
