On 30 September 2025, a new report on culture and artificial intelligence was launched during the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2025.

A side event dedicated to the report presented its key findings and recommendations, making substantive contribution to MONDIACULT 2025 which featured AI as one of the eight core themes. 

The report was developed by an Independent Expert Group on AI and Culture (CULTAI), convened by UNESCO in the lead-up to MONDIACULT 2025 and tasked with exploring, debating, and offering new perspectives on the wide-ranging impact of AI on the global cultural sector.

In his opening remarks, Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, emphasized the Organization's leading role at the intersection of culture, technology and ethics. 

"Seemingly overnight, generative AI became part of our daily lives. We need serious research, honest cooperation and rights-based governance to navigate the opportunities and risks AI presents on creators and consumers alike. Human creativity, cultural diversity and sustainability must shape technology—not the other way around." said Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture.

Rafael Ivorra Zaragoza, Deputy Director General for International Relations and the European Union at Ministry of Culture of Spain, also raised alarm on governance challenges, the erosion of creativity and threats to cultural rights in the age of AI.

In his presentation of the report, Salim Dada, Chair of the Expert Group, noted that AI is advancing faster than cultural governance.

"UNESCO Member States must integrate culture into national AI strategies, foster transnational collaboration, and invest in cultural AI literacy that balances technical skills with critical creativity. Our shared cultural heritage and our children’s creative futures depend on the decisions we make today. The time for action is now." said Salim Dada, Chair of the Expert Group on AI and Culture.

Call for a new governance paradigm for AI

The independent expert report explores seven thematic areas, ranging from cultural value chains, education to cultural sovereignty. Each theme captures both opportunities and challenges posed by AI on cultural rights, diversity and creativity.

The report identifies three imperatives for ethical AI development for culture:

1. Rights and integrity: AI must serve cultural sovereignty
2. Pluralism and equitable economies: Algorithmic homogenization and platform dominance must be countered to preserve cultural pluralism and sovereignty.
3. Sustainable and resilient cultural futures: The AI-driven creative economy must be reevaluated to prioritize human creative agency and prevent the unfair use of people's cultural or artistic work.

Towards technology that serves culture

Through diverse voices of creative and tech actors, the report encourages UNESCO Member States to:

Integrate culture into national AI strategies, prioritizing risk assessment, contemporary creation and resilient heritage
Foster transnational collaboration to bridge digital divides, uphold linguistic diversity and protect vulnerable communities

Invest in cultural-AI literacy through education partnerships that balance technical skills with critical thinking

While underscoring the urgency of collective action, the Report's message remains clear and concise: technology must serve humanity.

Click here to read the full report

(Source: Official website of the UNESCO)