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This week marks the launch of a series of reports on the seismic shifts to work and lives in the creative industries being brought about by Generative AI.
Our research suggests how good work can be sustained through this fast-paced transformation, and offers policy recommendations for regulators to build better governance of AI.
We launched our findings at the SXSW festival in Shoreditch on Wednesday, marking the culmination of a joint research project with Queen Mary University of London and The Alan Turing Institute, funded by the AHRC and BRAID programme. Our panel, featuring IFOW researcher Mia Leslie and project lead Professor David Leslie, alongside bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, highlighted the challenges and risks which AI poses across the creative ecosystem, as well as on the level of social interactions and of the individual.
Our subsequent APPG on the Future of Work session on Thursday brought together creative professionals, policymakers and parliamentarians to further explore issues around copyright, fair remuneration and job security in the creative industries. It was an insightful and timely session, especially given the current parliamentary ping-pong of the Data (Use and Access) Bill and discussions around the use of creative material to train AI models. A summary of the session can be read here.
The challenges – and opportunities – being experienced in the creative sector are potentially foreshadowing impacts across the labour market. How we face the issues around access to good work in this space – including regulation and best practice for responsible use of these powerful tools – will bring lessons for us all.
Anna and IFOW Team
The CREAATIF project, 'Crafting Responsive Assessments of AI & Tech-Impacted Futures', funded by AHRC and the BRAID programme, is a partnership between IFOW, the Alan Turing Institute and Queen Mary University of London.
Working with four major arts and culture unions; Equity, Bectu, the Society of Authors and the Musicians’ Union, we have published a policy brief and research report drawn from the in-person workshops and survey we ran among freelancers.
The picture painted is one of extraordinarily rapid change, and of genuine threat to the livelihoods of creative professionals and creative practice across the country. Our creative industries generate over £125bn annually, growing at one and a half times the rate of the broader economy, yet our research has shown that AI risks eroding the economic success of the creative industries.
Current regulatory responses have tended to focus on protecting individual creativity through intellectual property reform. This approach isn't working. The scale of the challenge demands an integrated approach, one that understands that action must be taken simultaneously at a societal, organisational and individual level, and that this action must cut across the entirety of the creative workforce.
Best placed to lead action are the existing social partnerships of the unions representing so many creative workers – and freelancers in particular. With a new strategy due this month, the government has an opportunity to deliver on such a bold, comprehensive approach, one that avoids pitching for short-term gains that don’t properly protect our creative workers, but instead aims at the public interest of having a flourishing society.
Building on our ‘Good Work Charter’ – a ten-point framework for understanding work that is more than employment – we are looking to a world where creative work is ‘good work’, which supports the flourishing of the individual.
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IFOW response to Skills England's new analysis and priorities
IFOW warmly welcomes the Government’s proactive, data-driven approach to shaping the UK’s future workforce, as set out in Skills England’s priorities for 2025-26 this week. The emphasis on systematic action across national, regional, and sectoral levels aligns closely with the policy directions we champion at IFOW. As rapid technological, demographic, and labour market changes reshape work, it is crucial that our national skills strategies anticipate future needs, close skills gaps, and promote inclusive economic growth.
Employment Rights Bill Probing Amendments
IFOW's probing amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, tabled by Lord Tim Clement-Jones, concern the definition of an AI system within the context of employment rights (148), workplace AI risk and impact assessments (149), and the need for employers to consult with employees and unions before implementing AI systems (150). These were debated this week in the House of Lords, with reference to our research.
Innovate UK Bridge AI Annual Showcase, Monday 16 June, London
How do you adopt AI responsibly in ways that consider the people and business needs? Successful adoption requires strong alignment between the AI solution, users’ skills, working practices and ability to adapt. IFOW team members Jo Marriott and Mia Leslie will be running a joint interactive session with CIPD and The Alan Turing Institute which will explore the importance of centring the experience of the worker in AI adoption. Further information about the BridgeAI Annual Showcase can be found on the Innovate UK website.
The Future of Work: A manifesto for 2030, Tuesday 17 June, London
IFOW Co-Director Dr Abby Gilbert will join this panel discussion at the FT Women in Business Summit on 17 June, with Co-Founder of Microsoft WorkLab, Colette Stallbaumer, and Future of Work expert at Armstrong & Partners, Christine Armstrong, exploring what needs to be done now to reshape how, where, and why we work. The panel will be moderated by Isabel Berwick, Working It Editor at the Financial Times. Details of the summit can be found on the FT event webpage.
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