The Dutch Council for Culture wants AI Companies to compensate Artists

Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly influencing our culture. Therefore, it is important that AI works for us, and not the other way around. This is only possible if we protect the power of creativity and utilize it to steer the rapid development of AI. Urgent action is needed for this, including from the government. This is stated in its advisory report from the Dutch Council for Culture to the government and parliament. 

AI provides much inspiration, but its rapid rise is also accompanied by major concerns. This stems from the way AI is designed and developed, the council states. The development of AI is largely in the hands of a small number of primarily American companies, which are mainly focused on maximizing profits. "As the Council for Culture, we have serious concerns about this," says Chair Kristel Baele. "Precisely because this is Inherently a cultural technology, its development should not be profit-driven, but value-driven. We can exert influence on this ourselves. This is the moment for the government and the sector to jointly protect the power of creativity and utilize it for this purpose."

Incentive program

The council recommends investing in an incentive program 'Towards a European AI Culture', modeled after the Growth Fund projects. This program must provide the sector with the space to continue working on public alternatives to current technology in collaboration with the government and the business community. This is already happening on a small scale, but there is a great opportunity here if we know how to harness the innovative power of the creative industry.

Government Commissioner and Social Task Force

In addition, the council advocates for a Government Commissioner for AI in its advice. This commissioner can act as a catalyst to achieve a government-wide, integrated approach to AI policy in collaboration with the various departments and can be Informed by feedback from the field. These can be gathered and passed on via a societal task force on AI and culture to be initiated by the sector.

Cultural data

The council views AI as an inherent cultural technology. After all, all AI models are trained based on cultural data that was originally conceived and compiled by creative makers. This online data represents immense cultural and societal value. Today's cultural makers also utilize AI in their creative processes, but figures show that they are receiving fewer and fewer commissions, particularly due to generative AI.

Content levy

The Council considers it crucial that fair compensation is established for the use of cultural data by AI companies. The European Parliament has also already called for this. The advice advocates the introduction of a content levy for AI providers. As soon as they offer their generative AI system on the Dutch market, they would be legally obliged to pay for the use of cultural data. The levy can therefore be collected directly in the Netherlands. The collective proceeds of this levy will benefit creators and the cultural and creative sector. This can be done, for example, through the system of collective management organizations, such as BumaStemra.

Main Image: Raad voor Cultuur