ERUA2 Research cluster
Artificial Intelligence and Creative Industry Employment Disruption

Team :
Kristian Bankov NBU : Professor of Semiotics, Digital Culture
Everardo Reyes P8 : Professor of Information and Communication Sciences
George Caridakis AEGEAN : Associate professor Intelligent Interaction Research Group
Birutė Mockevičienė MRU : Professor Management and Political science
Alytis Gruodis MRU : Associate Professor, expert in artificial neural networks

Early Career Researchers :
Monika Petkevičiūtė-Stručko MRU : PhD in Economics
Filip Samuilov NBU : PhD student in Law, Copyright and creative workers’ rights
Awanish Srivastava EUV : Studies Master of Digital Entrepreneurship
Nicolas Woroszylo SWPS : Social and Organizational Psychology (Entrepreneurship)
Diana Kulchitskaya NBU : Assistant professor in Media Studies
Luca Romeo UniMC : Assistant professor in Computer Science

Associated researchers :
Nicolae-Sorin Drăgan, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Bucharest, Romania

Aim and objectives of the research cluster

We aim to examine creativity and creative work within the creative industries from an interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspective, focusing on the disruption caused by the growing use of artificial intelligence in the sector. Specifically, we seek to explore the threats faced by creative workers, as employers increasingly use AI to replace, rather than enhance, human creativity.

Our research will be focused on three main research streams :
1. Elaborating interdisciplinary methods to evaluate the intrinsic value of creativity, advocating for its protection and irreplaceability as a core principle in future legislation.
2. Investigating the added value of AI for human creativity and validating it from marketing, management, and law perspectives to ensure the sustainability of the labor market for creative workers.
3. Exploring new perspectives on AI applications in order to promote technology integration and minimize resistance from society and creative workers.

By doing so, we address a fundamental democratic value—equal opportunity—and provide policymakers with the tools to limit the unchecked influence of large corporate content producers over employment and compensation policies.

We intend to extend our research fieldwork among the following domains of the creative industries (but not limiting it only to them) :
Advertising and Marketing, Architecture ; Crafts ; Design ; Film, TV, and Radio ; IT, Software, and Video Games ; Music, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts ; Publishing ; (books, magazines, and digital content) ; Industry 4.0 ; Museums, Galleries, and Libraries.

Research topics of the research cluster

Social Entrepreneurship and management : Social Entrepreneurship and management : understanding the impact of AI on creative industries and identifying necessary developments to enhance creativity and innovation.

Anthropology/ethnography : hearing the voice of the people from the creative industries
Semiotics : modelling the natural and artificial creativity, analyzing the creative products as texts

Posthumanism (in collaboration with the research cluster Hermès, initiated at Paris 8) : By embracing a posthumanist perspective, we recognize the entangled relationships between humans, non-human entities, and the environment, emphasizing the interdependence and interrelatedness of all beings. We will investigate diverse caring practices across cultures and disciplines, examining how they challenge traditional hierarchies, expand notions of creativity and social justice.

Art studies : what is creativity from the point of view of art researchers and artists
Computer science : overview of the major AI assisted creativity tools and platforms available on the market. Identify and document related indicative use cases such as generative art. Study and development of generative AI model that allows generation of multimodal content.

Law studies : the copyright implications and possible protection for the creative workers
Market(ing) research : hearing consumers of creative industries, their perception of the different types of creativity

Communication and media studies : examining the way AI changes the process of creating different types of content and how this reflects on the workers in media industries. The changing concept of authorship and arising ethical issues may be also addressed in more detail.

Foreseen research activities

From October 2024 to June 2025 we plan to have regular meetings (once a month), to conduct preliminary research in the various disciplines. From June 2025 to September 2025 we will prepare the meeting in person for three days within the International Early Fall School of Semiotics 2025 (beginning of September). During the meeting a synthesis of all research findings will be made and we will prepare the next phase of the cluster activities : 1) collecting and publishing all contributions in a monographic volume of the scientific journal of the Southeast European Center for Semiotics Studies at NBU - Digital Age in Semiotics and Communication, issue 8 ; 2) creating a report, addressed to policy makers and the stakeholders in the creative industries like Trade Unions and Industry Bodies, as well as the big corporate players and journalists ; 3) We will organize regular seminars within the partner universities with guest lecturers from the creative industries and other stakeholders related to them ; 4) applying for bigger funding like Erasmus+ Key Action 2 : Cooperation among organizations and institutions, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions ; ERC (European Research Council).