Can Australia wrestle the challenge that AI poses to culture and creativity? 

National think tank A New Approach (ANA) today released the paper Guide, Steer, Repeat: Applications of AI in arts, culture and creativity, and how Australia should respond.

CEO of ANA, Kate Fielding, said there is no longer a question of if Australians are using AI. Industry and governments are now focused on the different ways AI is being used to either generate benefits or cause harm.

“As AI continues to rapidly evolve we can’t just ‘set and forget’. More Australians are using AI as a tool to create, find and share arts, culture and creativity. AI already helps creators to brainstorm and refine ideas, and also helps audiences to access and participate,” said Ms Fielding.

“From generating images and recommending music to recording heritage sites, AI is being woven into our cultural and creative activities and experiences. Our analysis shows that why and how we use AI today is the difference between generating benefits or causing harm to people and communities.

“AI will be part of securing Australia’s place as a cultural powerhouse. Arts, culture and creativity can help Australians work out how to apply AI in safe, innovative and inclusive ways, as well as contributing to debate about the role of this technology in society.

“At its best, AI can amplify the contributions of arts, culture and creativity to Australian society, including to our prosperity, cohesion, security, health and sustainability.”

Ms Fielding said many are still cautious about using AI, citing a recent national survey which found that 40% of Australians thought generative AI will harm our society. She stressed the need to regularly revisit AI usage in our cultural and creative industries.

“We don’t know how the AI story ends, but we can help to write it. To do this, governments need to consider both the production and consumption impacts of AI as well as harnessing the knowledge of cultural and creative industries. Governments also need to respond to these impacts through a cross-portfolio approach which steers towards benefits.”

Find out more about A New Approach (ANA)

Media enquiries: Alexandra Nichols 0431 468 665 or alexandra.nichols@newapproach.org.au