AI Policy and its Impacts on the Screen Sector Across the Globe
This report from the CoSTAR Foresight Lab explores how artificial intelligence is impacting the Screen Sector across different international contexts.
Posted: 20 February 2026
"National approaches range from binding legislation to sector-specific guidance, while international regulation is still evolving. Given the screen sector’s global value chain, organisations must navigate multiple regulatory frameworks or adapt practices across jurisdictions. As AI’s impacts are inherently cross-border, they cannot be fully addressed through national laws alone. It is essential that the UK adopts a proportionate, sector-specific approach aligned with international standards (EU, Council of Europe, UN) while safeguarding cultural sovereignty and flexibility for the screen sector. The UK should also maintain a leadership role in global forums (WIPO, UNESCO, Council of Europe, OECD) to shape norms on IP, training data, and performer protections, ensuring its creative interests are protected worldwide."
AI is now a pervasive, production-grade component of the global screen sector. It streamlines technical workflows, augments creative development, and opens new possibilities for storytelling, while also concentrating capability and data advantage in larger organisations. International evidence presented in this report shows that rapid technical advances, coupled with unequal access to skills, infrastructure, and licensing create a fragile balance and uneven landscape. Sustained efficiency and creativity will depend on levelling the playing field through stronger governance, workforce development, clearer IP and data safeguards, and robust sustainability standards. These measures are essential to ensure that all parts of the screen sector can benefit from AI while mitigating its risks. Left unchecked, the screen sector risks exacerbating inequalities, undermining creators’ rights and eroding public trust, even as new tools enable richer creative forms.