AI Could Cut Artist Incomes by Nearly a Quarter, UNESCO Warns

When Maria Chen landed her first sync deal for an independent film soundtrack three years ago, it felt like the breakthrough she’d spent a decade working toward. Today, she’s watching that same income stream evaporate as AI-generated music floods the market at prices no human composer can match. Her story isn’t unique—it’s becoming the new normal for millions of creative workers worldwide.

“The disruptions are occurring at a pace that outstrips current policy responses, exacerbating inequalities and threatening the livelihoods of millions of cultural workers.” — UNESCO Report

A $24 Billion Warning

The numbers are stark. According to UNESCO’s latest Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity report, released Wednesday, generative AI is projected to drive significant income losses across the cultural sector by 2028. Music creators face the steepest decline, with revenues expected to fall by 24 percent. Those in the audiovisual sector aren’t far behind, facing potential losses of 21 percent.

The report, which monitors cultural policies across more than 120 countries, paints a picture of an industry in rapid transformation. While digital technologies have created new opportunities for distribution and discovery, they’ve also intensified economic uncertainty. Creators are experiencing heightened exposure to intellectual property violations and diminishing returns as AI-generated outputs enter global markets.

The Creative Digital Divide

Global inequities are compounding these challenges in ways that threaten to reshape the geography of cultural production. While 67 percent of people in developed countries possess essential digital skills, that figure plummets to just 28 percent in developing countries.

Platform dominance adds another layer of complexity. Major streaming platforms operate with opaque algorithms that can make or break a creator’s visibility, often favoring established names over emerging voices. For creators in the Global South, these barriers are particularly acute, threatening to marginalize diverse cultural expressions just as the tools for creation become more accessible.

Policy gaps leave creators vulnerable. The report identifies over 8,100 existing policy measures across the monitored countries, yet acknowledges that current frameworks are inadequate to address the speed and scale of AI-driven disruption. Intellectual property protections designed for an analog era struggle to account for training data, synthetic media, and AI-generated derivatives.

“The current era represents a critical moment for the creative economy. Without renewed investment, fairer market conditions and stronger international cooperation, creators risk being further marginalised as technologies evolve.” — Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director-General

The Stakes for Cultural Diversity

Beyond the economic implications, UNESCO warns of broader consequences for society. The cultural sector contributes to sustainable development, social cohesion, and the preservation of diverse cultural expressions. If AI-driven market dynamics concentrate power and revenue among a handful of tech platforms and major content owners, the result could be a homogenization of global culture.

The report calls for urgent, coordinated action to protect creators’ rights and strengthen regulatory frameworks. Specific recommendations include updating intellectual property laws to address AI training data, ensuring transparency in algorithmic content curation, and investing in digital skills training—particularly in developing economies.

For creators like Maria Chen, these policy debates aren’t abstract. They represent the difference between a sustainable career and a forced exit from the industry she loves. As the report makes clear, the window for action is narrowing. By 2028, the damage to individual livelihoods and cultural diversity may be difficult to reverse.

This article was reported by the ArtificialDaily editorial team. For more information, visit UN News.