WE MUST PRESERVE HUMANITY IN CREATION

The text is taken from CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 and translated into Norwegian.

In 2024, copyright management organizations delivered record-breaking royalties to creators worldwide. There is every reason to celebrate. The result demonstrates the robustness of collective management systems and the value of creative works in a growing market. At the same time, the rise of artificial intelligence marks a profound shift for our sector – a clear sign that progress and disruption can coexist, and that the future of creativity will be shaped by how we balance the two.

What worries many in the creative industry is that AI can retrieve and recreate creative material without control or compensation to the human creators. I say this as someone who has used AI tools myself. I see the potential. For me, AI can be like a kind of sounding mirror, providing new references and unexpected directions that can expand and enrich the human creative process. But when companies build huge AI models based on unauthorized works from millions of creators, the situation becomes completely different. Then you go from having a useful tool to an instrument for systematic exploitation. Without clear frameworks and control, AI raises fundamental questions about both copyright and value.

The numbers speak for themselves. A study commissioned by CISAC – and similar studies conducted by our member organisations in different countries – show that around a quarter of copyright revenues could be lost if AI use continues without licensing and regulation. At the same time, the market for AI-generated content is expected to grow dramatically, to a whopping €64 billion within three years. This is value being taken away from the people who give culture content and meaning.

In many of my public speeches, including in Brussels and the UK, I have stressed that creators must have a seat at the decision-making table – not stand on the outside looking in. I have also pointed out that if the role of creators is weakened, technology companies risk taking values ​​that rightfully belong to human expression. I have met politicians who are listening, but what we really need now are political leaders who dare to fight to ensure that respect for human rights is not sacrificed in the name of innovation.

Yet there is reason for cautious optimism. In Sweden, our member organization STIM has recently launched a groundbreaking AI license that shows that creators’ rights and technological development can actually coexist – as long as licensing and transparency are at the heart of it. It shows that AI companies can act responsibly, can respect human creation, and can collaborate with us on solutions that work for both parties.

As President of CISAC, I will continue to use my voice to ensure that creators’ perspectives are heard. The culture of the future depends on us keeping human imagination – not machines – at the centre of creation.