This four part report was produced as a result of the FIA, FIM, UNI MEI and EFJ Atypical Work IV project, financed by the European Commission. It was based on a large scale survey of the European members of the four federations, as well as the national level members of a small number of hand-picked unions across the four worker cohorts of actors, musicians, crew and journalists. It was authored by Belgian Arts Consultancy TWIIID.
The surveys aimed to capture a snapshot of how AI is being felt in the working lives of those active in the Media, Arts and Entertainment sector. It examines what uses and applications are most prevalent and how they are perceived. It explores how workers rate their skills needs and workload in relation to fast changing uses of AI. It teases out concerns of AI impact on creative work specifically. It also explores how those active in the sector believe the use of AI in the workplace should be framed in terms of safeguards, remuneration, collective bargaining policy making etc.
The Reports are available to download in:
English: 1-FIA, 2-UNI MEI, 3-EFJ, 4-FIM
French: 1-FIA, 2-UNI MEI, 3-EFJ, 4-FIM
Spanish: 1-FIA, 2-UNI MEI, 3-EFJ, 4-FIM
As is stated in the introduction “these reports do not claim to provide a final or exhaustive account. AI is developing rapidly, and the perceptions captured here reflect a specific moment at the end of 2025. What we hope they do provide is a robust, evidence-based foundation, grounded in the voices of workers and their representative organisations, for the collective bargaining strategies, policy responses and social dialogue that the sector urgently needs.”
It is also certainly true that the reports, taken together, do point to a very high level of concern among both the sectors’ unions and its workers across the EU. A perceived high level of impact and potential impact, together with a high level of uncertainty mean that: “The picture the data paints is therefore not of a divided field, but of a sector sounding the alarm across the board.”(See “Concern” in the Cross-Sector Comparison section of the four reports.)
In AI & Work Part 1, pertaining to FIA unions, the survey findings also make clear that performers’ unions are already hard at work on all aspects of the impact of AI and that “AI is now a standing item in unions’ external action, ranging from early awareness‑raising and defensive contract advice, through targeted national legislation and reservations on text and data mining, to concrete AI clauses in collective agreements and structured participation in European policy processes” ( see page 37). However, to be effective in regulating the impact of this new technology and how it impacts on work, the unions are also calling for targeted support and crucially, for much more transparent information. “The strongest needs are for clear and accessible information on how AI is used in the sector (90.9%) and legal guidance on copyright, data use, and algorithmic transparency (81.8%). Close behind are model clauses or contract templates (77.3%), standardised consent forms for digital replicas /voice /likeness (77.3%) and monitoring tools to track AI deployment and job impact (77.3%).” (see page 37)
The section that analyses the findings from the surveys of individual actors also point to an already clearly emerging threat of job loss and job displacement, highlighted by one third of the respondents. “The clearest impact is concentrated in voice-related markets (voice-over, dubbing/ADR, audiobooks, advertising, explainer videos). Many describe sharp declines in demand, sometimes in dramatic terms: “My speaking engagements (mainly for advertising) have decreased by 80% to 90%”, “Synchronization decreased significantly,” and “Dubbing jobs have practically disappeared.” (See page 14).
The four Federations extend their warm thanks to the sector’s unions and workers whose invaluable input was the vital basis for these reports. Their publication could not be more timely as the sector grapples with how best to regulate AI and harness its potential to the benefit of the sectors’ workers and without impacting on the vital role of human creativity and expression into the future.
