UNESCO Warns AI Could Cut Artist Incomes by Nearly a Quarter by 2028

When a musician spends months crafting an album, they expect their work to generate income for years to come. But a new report from UNESCO suggests that assumption is being fundamentally challenged by technology that can produce similar content in seconds—and the financial consequences could be devastating for creators worldwide.

“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.” — Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General

The $24 Billion Question

The UN culture agency’s latest edition of Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity—a flagship monitoring report covering more than 120 countries—delivers sobering projections for artists navigating the generative AI revolution. Music creators could see their revenues fall by 24 percent by 2028, while those working in the audiovisual sector may lose 21 percent of their income due to the expanding presence of AI-generated content in global markets.

The report stresses that these disruptions are occurring at a pace that outstrips current policy responses, exacerbating inequalities and threatening the livelihoods of millions of cultural workers. What makes this particularly concerning is that the shift isn’t hypothetical—it’s already happening. Creators are experiencing heightened exposure to intellectual property violations and diminishing returns on their work as AI-generated outputs enter the marketplace at scale.

The Creative Digital Divide

Global inequities further compound these challenges. While 67 percent of people in developed countries possess essential digital skills, the figure drops to just 28 percent in developing countries. This digital divide, paired with the growing dominance of major streaming platforms and opaque algorithms that hinder content visibility, is contributing to widening disparities among creators—particularly those operating in the Global South.

Platform economics have also shifted dramatically. The report highlights how major streaming services and content platforms have created new opportunities for distribution while simultaneously intensifying economic uncertainty. Opaque recommendation algorithms can make or break a creator’s visibility, and the revenue sharing models often favor platforms over the artists who generate the content.

Intellectual property concerns are reaching a tipping point. As generative AI systems train on vast datasets that include copyrighted works, creators are finding their styles and outputs being replicated without consent or compensation. The legal frameworks designed to protect creative works are struggling to keep pace with technological capabilities.

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

Policy Responses and the Path Forward

The UNESCO report outlines more than 8,100 policy measures already in place across member states, but calls for urgent, coordinated action to protect creators’ rights, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and reinforce the cultural sector’s contribution to sustainable development.

Governments are being urged to mobilize cultural policy as a strategic priority—both to safeguard the livelihoods of artists and to ensure that creativity continues to serve as a driver of social cohesion, economic opportunity, and cultural diversity in a rapidly changing world.

The stakes extend beyond individual creators. The cultural and creative industries contribute significantly to global GDP and employment. If AI-driven disruption undermines the economic viability of creative careers, the ripple effects could reshape everything from education to urban development to international trade in cultural goods.

Industry observers are watching closely to see how governments and platforms respond. Will we see new compensation models for AI training data? Will copyright law evolve to address generative outputs? The coming months will reveal whether policymakers can move quickly enough to protect the creative economy—or whether artists will be left to navigate this transformation alone.

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