Human imagination, not AI, will drive tomorrow's creative economy
The future of the creative economy will not be built by machines alone. For all the hype around generative AI, it is still human imagination — our narratives, ideas, and intuition — that will shape what truly resonates. As the sector undergoes rapid transformation, it is not AI that will lead the next wave of innovation, but the artists, designers, coders, and cultural producers who know how to harness it with purpose.
Set to contribute 5 per cent of the UAE's GDP by 2031, the creative economy is now being supercharged by technology. The sector's expedited transformation was catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed content creation, consumption, and collaboration online — forcing creatives to reimagine how they produce and distribute their work beyond physical spaces. It was this accelerated digitisation that laid the groundwork for today's AI revolution. Artificial intelligence has since emerged — augmenting how ideas are generated, refined, and shared. From design to storytelling, AI is accelerating the creative process and unlocking new possibilities across every field.
For those unfamiliar with the sector, the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) refers to 'the ideation, creation, production, distribution, and dissemination of goods and services of creative expression and cultural preservation that generate and sustain social-economic impact' (UAE Ministry of Culture, 2021). The fields within CCI are quite diverse, ranging from advertising, music, fashion, and film, to architecture, performing arts, visual arts, video games, and emerging technologies. The creative economy encompasses the wider ecosystem of these industries as a whole, including the economic activities, value created, and the policy frameworks to enable the sector.
Globally, the sector is worth over $2.25 trillion, employing 30 million people. Meanwhile, the global digital creative economy is expected to note a compounding growth of 11 per cent each year to reach a valuation of AED27 trillion by 2030, according to a white paper by Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Media City.
In the UK, the creative industries contribute £111.7 billion in gross value added to the economy, which is larger than the aerospace, automotive, life sciences and oil and gas sectors combined. These numbers underscore a simple truth: creativity is no longer an accessory to economic development — it is a driver of it.
AI reshaping creative economy
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative economy sector. The global market for generative AI in creative industries is growing at an incredibly accelerated rate. Global generative AI spending is expected to reach $644 billion in 2025, an increase of 76.4 per cent from 2024, according to a forecast by Gartner, Inc. From generating hundreds of concepts and content in seconds, to seeing an unprecedented level of knowledge available at the click of a button, the use of generative AI is imperative in every creative field. In the current evolving creative landscape, the most successful creatives will be those that learn to incorporate AI within their practices, using it to elevate rather than replace their craft.
However, one must remember that the two critical factors at the core of what makes up the creative economy is human imagination and innovation. The intellectual protection of these two pillars is what this unique sector relies on, and the ethical concerns surrounding generative AI cannot be ignored.
A recent report titled ' Artificial Intelligence in Creative Industries: Guidelines for the Development, Regulation, and Use ' by the UAE Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution suggested ways of addressing some concerns that the sector is facing. The report suggests guidelines that emphasise transparency, inclusivity, and people-centrism as guiding principles for the ethical and effective integration of AI in creative fields. A few ways that stood out include: enabling personalised model training and income opportunities for creators, introducing an 'AI Disclosure Statement' for developers training Large Language Models (LLM), and an 'icon of transparency' mark for creators by Content Credentials, and to always critically question AI-generated output instead of settling for easy answers.
Having served in the UAE's cultural and creative sector for nearly 12 years, I've seen the shift firsthand in our nation realising the creative economy's potential. The UAE has taken, and will continue to take, bold steps — from licensing reforms to talent development and investments in cultural infrastructure — to lead the region in building an advanced creative economy.
But this transformation requires more than tools. It demands a mindset. One that equips creatives with the skills and organisations with the policy frameworks to thrive in the AI era. Ensuring human creativity is safeguarded while fostering cross-sector investment in is critical — from rethinking university curricula to supporting private sector innovation that centres creatives, not just coders.
The UAE has strategically become a pioneering world leader in AI R&D investment, governance, and global discourse while ensuring ethical and inclusive practices supporting industry players. The upcoming Culture Summit 2025, with the theme 'Culture for Humanity and Beyond' taking place in Abu Dhabi, is a testament to the UAE's approach in a human-centered creative economy.
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