European Commission's AI-and-culture consultation closes Sept 11

The European Commission's call for evidence on a forthcoming AI Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors closes on 11 September 2026, two days from now, with the strategy itself scheduled for the first half of 2027.

The consultation on the Commission's Have Your Say portal opened on 29 July. The Commission says the strategy will "set out a vision to support the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) while fostering innovation and safeguarding European cultural and linguistic diversity," and is meant to ensure "AI complements, rather than replaces, human creativity; supports broader access to culture and knowledge; and contributes to a fair, sustainable, innovative and competitive European creative economy."

The Commission's Culture and Creativity news page lays out the terrain plainly: copyright, data access, digital skills, transparency, and "the risk that smaller cultural organisations are left behind by larger technology firms." It is asking artists, creators, rights holders, professional associations, AI providers, developers, researchers and public authorities to weigh in.

The initiative is one of 20 flagship actions announced in the Culture Compass for Europe, and it builds on the Apply AI strategy while being closely aligned with the Commission's ongoing copyright review. Culture Action Europe's Digital and AI Action Group released more than 30 recommendations on 7 May 2026, "calling for a human-first approach to AI based on cultural rights, human creativity."

Two of the AI experts we track posted the consultation link this week. With the deadline arriving Friday, whatever the record contains by then is what the Commission carries into drafting.