Digital and AI Action Group
The Digital & AI Action Group is a joint advocacy group facilitated by Culture Action Europe and Michael Culture Association, bringing together cultural institutions, artists, and digital experts from across Europe’s Cultural and Creative Sectors since April 2024.
Our mission is to ensure that digital and AI policies are developed in an ethical, human-centred way, reflecting the values and realities of cultural professionals. The group also aims to inform policymakers on how to best support the integration of digital and AI in the cultural and creative sectors, to identify areas where policy intervention is needed, and to understand the ethical concerns of cultural sector professionals about AI and digital. More can be discovered in our mission statement, which was co-created through surveys and workshops conducted with members since Autumn 2024.
Activities
The group first convened on April 8, April 30, and October 24, 2024 to gain a clearer understanding of the sector’s perspective on AI development and shape our position, including through launching a survey. The outputs gathered inform both the Mission Statement of the Action Group as well as a position paper on the AI Act.
The action group has also been active in contributing to the drafting of Codes of Practice emerging from the AI Act. The group provided input for the initial stakeholder engagement processes, building upon the considerations formed for the AI Act. Culture Action Europe opposed the third draft of the GPAI Code of Practice before welcoming the final Code of Practice, albeit with some reservations.
Recommendations for the AI Strategy for the CCS
The action group was active in the first half of 2026 in developing recommendations to the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors of the European Commission, which was identified as a flagship action in the Culture Compass for Europe unveiled in November 2025.
Following initial consultations and discussions took place, a first meeting gathered feedback for the recommendations in February 2026, which led to a first draft document. A second meeting took place on 2 April 2026, following the input received from members and suggestions for improvement to the recommendations. The final recommendations were then released on 7 May 2026 and provided to the European Commission, before a lunchtime session took place on 11 May 2026 to present the recommendations publicly.
The Digital and AI Action Group is open only to MCA and CAE members. For any questions or requests for participation, please contact the group’s facilitators: Marco Fiore (marco.fiore[at]michael-culture.eu) and Rhys Nugent (rhys@cultureactioneurope.org).