Date: June 3, 2025
Session: Track 4 - Creative Industries Transformation
Moderator: Leila Delarive, Amplify

The creative industries panel at Panoramai's Swiss Generative AI Summit revealed a complex landscape where European stakeholders grapple with AI's transformative impact while seeking to preserve cultural values and economic sustainability. Industry leaders debated whether regulation will stifle innovation or provide necessary guardrails, while practitioners shared real-world experiences of AI adoption in media, advertising, and content creation.

The Regulatory Crossroads: EU AI Act Implementation

Peter Friess from the European Commission positioned Europe's approach as fundamentally different from US and Chinese strategies, emphasizing social cohesion alongside technological advancement. « We have a ten-year program called Start Science Technology Art, also supporting Swiss artists », he explained, highlighting Europe's commitment to integrating creativity with technological progress.

Friess outlined the EU AI Act's four-tier risk assessment framework, from prohibited applications to unrestricted use, while acknowledging implementation challenges. The Commission has published an April action plan covering ethical use, education, research support, and creative industries development. « What is interesting, since this year, there is again a cooperation agreement between the Union and Switzerland », he noted, emphasizing continental collaboration on AI innovation.

Michel Jaccard, founder of id est avocats, offered a more skeptical perspective on regulatory solutions. « Don't wait for the courts to agree. It will take a long time. Don't wait for politicians to represent your interests », he warned, advocating for individual and industry-led responses rather than legislative solutions.

Creative Industry Disruption: The Lukewarm Revolution

Pierre Esparsa from Narrae Studio provided ground-level insights into AI's impact on creative workflows. He described the current state as « lukewarm water », explaining that « there is no professional today who wants to be the first to shoot » when it comes to AI adoption in advertising and content creation.

Esparsa revealed concerning employment trends: « Every two days, I have a new resume of someone who works on set, a designer, photographers, DP's ». The gradual nature of this displacement makes it particularly insidious. « What we see is actually happening very slowly, and that's also what's most frightening », he observed.

The discussion highlighted a fundamental challenge for creative professionals: how to maintain relevance and add value as AI capabilities expand. Esparsa's response involves pushing for innovation in storytelling: « We need better ideas, we need to stop doing the same things, because if we keep doing the same things, that's why the AI will replace everything ».

Media Integrity in the AI Era

Mounir Krichane from EPFL Media Center addressed AI integration in journalism and media production. He emphasized that trust remains paramount: « In the media, it's about trust, trust with the public. In journalism, there's obviously a charter behind it, there's a journalistic integrity ».

Krichane detailed how media organizations are already integrating AI tools while maintaining editorial oversight: « For example, the transcription of an interview can be automated. The output may not be perfect. The journalist has the duty to reread, to guarantee the quality of the interview ». He stressed that « there is always a human in the loop » in quality media operations.

The discussion covered emerging technical solutions like C2PA and JPEG Trust standards for content provenance tracking. Krichane explained how Sony cameras now integrate metadata tracking, allowing media organizations to trace image history from capture through publication.

Intellectual Property: The Innovation Paradox

Jaccard provided a provocative analysis of intellectual property in the AI era, arguing that innovation inherently involves building upon existing work. « From the moment we want to innovate, we have to steal », he stated, citing historical precedents like Google Books as examples of massive IP violations that eventually transformed entire industries.

He predicted a similar pattern for AI: « There are a lot of lawsuits going on against content creators, etc. You have to hold on for five years and then the balance of power is reversed ». This perspective suggests that current legal challenges may ultimately prove unsuccessful against well-funded AI companies.

Esparsa offered a different view, suggesting that « speed of execution will become the new copyright », emphasizing rapid iteration over legal protection. « You reused my thing, it's a tribute », he said, noting how social media users already freely reference popular culture without legal consequences.

European Digital Sovereignty Concerns

A compelling intervention from a French audience member highlighted broader concerns about European digital dependency. The questioner challenged Friess directly: « We have a European Union, and we're talking about redistribution, helping artists, etc. But where is the money going today? » He argued that European money flows to US tech giants, noting that « The GAFAM represent the equivalent of the entire European market cap ».

The participant drew comparisons to China's digital independence: « In China, there is no Instagram. Why? Because China refused to be the digital slave of the United States ». This prompted discussion about whether Europe needs more aggressive measures to protect its creative economy and technological sovereignty.

Friess responded by outlining existing European initiatives, including AI Factories designed to provide accessible computing resources and various programs supporting European AI development. However, he acknowledged the challenge: « Just for the big IAs and for the social networks, for now, it's more on the American side ».

Industry Access and Academic Barriers

A graphic designer's testimony revealed significant obstacles facing individual creators seeking to develop AI tools. Despite Switzerland's reputation for innovation support, the designer described encountering « vertical silos » at technical institutions: « There is no way to get closer like that when you are independent, in unity, in creativity ».

This highlighted a disconnect between institutional AI research capacity and creative industry needs. While major computing centers actively seek use cases, individual artists and designers struggle to access these resources.

Five-Year Outlook: Divergent Visions

Panel members offered contrasting predictions for AI's impact over the next five years:

Friess advocated for maintaining creative and artistic integration: « If we don't integrate the creative aspect and the arts more, it will be a shame. So we really have to put the aspect on it, that in fact it's not the technology, but what we do with it ».

Krichane emphasized the importance of human-centered approaches: « Despite all the technological progress, this human side will persist and will be reinforced in some way. The fact by humans will also stand out in some way ».

Esparsa drew parallels to previous technological predictions: « I thought that 3D printers were going to revolutionize factories. And in fact, not at all ». He expressed cautious optimism while acknowledging potential social disruption: « We're probably going to be disgusted by a lot of very bad things, because it's going to happen very quickly ».

Jaccard focused on social implications: « In five years, there will be a lot of lawyers who will be much richer. Or not. So it's no longer a technological problem, it won't be at all in five years. It will be considerably a social problem ».

Strategic Implications for European Creative Industries

The panel discussion revealed several critical considerations for European creative industry stakeholders:

Regulatory Strategy: While the EU AI Act provides a framework, implementation remains uncertain. Industry leaders should prepare for evolving interpretations rather than waiting for definitive guidance.

Talent and Workforce: The gradual displacement of creative professionals requires proactive reskilling and new value proposition development. Organizations must balance efficiency gains with workforce transition support.

Technology Sovereignty: European creative industries face increasing dependency on US-based AI platforms. Strategic investments in European alternatives may become essential for long-term competitiveness.

Innovation Access: Current barriers between academic AI research and creative practitioners limit European innovation potential. New bridging mechanisms and accessible resources are needed.

Content Provenance: Technical solutions for content authentication and creator attribution will become increasingly important as synthetic media proliferates.

The discussion underscored that Europe's approach to AI in creative industries will ultimately depend on balancing technological advancement with social cohesion, artistic integrity, and economic sustainability – values that distinguish the European model from purely efficiency-driven approaches elsewhere.

More on the panelists

Peter m Friess

Mounir Krichane

Michel Jaccard

Pierre Esparsa

Leila Delarive, Moderator