AI Competency for the Creative Sector
Call to Action in the Creative Sector
The UK creative industries face significant skills gaps, particularly in AI and emerging technologies. These gaps threaten the sector's growth and competitiveness, with several key areas of concern identified across various sources.
The creative sector is experiencing a potential shortage of skilled workers, which could hinder the UK's overall objectives in AI adoption[1,2]. Educators, employers, and stakeholders are attempting to bridge this gap[2]. Yet, there is a gap in upskilling creatives in assessing AI options[2]. There is a growing demand for talent with a wide range of highly developed skills as the industry becomes less siloed and more technologically driven[5]. The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework, launched as part of the BridgeAI programme, provides a comprehensive roadmap for organisations to identify and develop critical AI skills[1]. However, the ability to build and deploy it quickly is essential[3] as it fills the gap created by the decline in on-site creative FE participation across the UK[7].
Key challenges and opportunities include:
1. Low AI adoption: Only 27% of UK business leaders think their non-technical workforce is well-prepared to leverage new technology[4].
2. Diversity issues: Just 22% of people in AI roles are female, highlighting a significant gender gap in the sector[4].
3. Skill shift: As AI handles more technical tasks, there's a growing emphasis on storytelling, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence skills[5].
4. Emerging roles: New positions such as AI trainers, creative technologists, and data-driven creatives are emerging, blending creative and technical expertise[5].
5. Democratization of creativity: AI is making sophisticated tools accessible to a broader audience, potentially producing new ideas and innovations[5].
Atlas based on [8] offers a scalable, cost-effective option for AI competency development in the creative sector, but it needs to be aligned with industry priorities. The 2023 creative industries Sector Vision aims to grow the sector by an extra £50 billion by 2030, emphasising the need for increased digitisation and AI application[3].
To address these challenges and opportunities, industry leaders are hosting online meet-ups in December 2024 and January 2025 to discuss the sector's next steps in addressing the AI skills gap. Join the conversation to shape the future of AI skills development in the creative industries.
calendly.com/josephconnor-carefulai/monday-1000-user-meeting
Citations:
[1] https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/perspectives/bridgeai-a-diverse-solution-to-a-diverse-problem/
[2] https://www.techuk.org/resource/addressing-the-ai-skills-gap-will-be-key-for-the-workforce-of-the-future.html
[3] https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/perspectives/ai-image-generation-and-maintenance-future-skills/
[4] https://www.turing.ac.uk/collaborate-turing/current-partnerships-and-collaborations/accenture/solving-uks-ai-skills-gap
[5] https://www.wearesource.co.uk/how-ai-is-transforming-the-creative-sector/
[6] https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creative-industries-skill-gaps/
[7] https://pec.ac.uk/news_entries/new-research-points-to-a-looming-creative-economy-skills- .shortage-across-the-uk/
[8] AI Skills for Business Competency Framework & Resources. Author Alan Turing Institute
https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/ai-skills-for-business-competency-framework-and-resources/
Citation: https://zenodo.org/records/11092677, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
The UK creative industries face significant skills gaps, particularly in AI and emerging technologies. These gaps threaten the sector's growth and competitiveness, with several key areas of concern identified across various sources.
The creative sector is experiencing a potential shortage of skilled workers, which could hinder the UK's overall objectives in AI adoption[1,2]. Educators, employers, and stakeholders are attempting to bridge this gap[2]. Yet, there is a gap in upskilling creatives in assessing AI options[2]. There is a growing demand for talent with a wide range of highly developed skills as the industry becomes less siloed and more technologically driven[5]. The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework, launched as part of the BridgeAI programme, provides a comprehensive roadmap for organisations to identify and develop critical AI skills[1]. However, the ability to build and deploy it quickly is essential[3] as it fills the gap created by the decline in on-site creative FE participation across the UK[7].
Key challenges and opportunities include:
1. Low AI adoption: Only 27% of UK business leaders think their non-technical workforce is well-prepared to leverage new technology[4].
2. Diversity issues: Just 22% of people in AI roles are female, highlighting a significant gender gap in the sector[4].
3. Skill shift: As AI handles more technical tasks, there's a growing emphasis on storytelling, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence skills[5].
4. Emerging roles: New positions such as AI trainers, creative technologists, and data-driven creatives are emerging, blending creative and technical expertise[5].
5. Democratization of creativity: AI is making sophisticated tools accessible to a broader audience, potentially producing new ideas and innovations[5].
Atlas based on [8] offers a scalable, cost-effective option for AI competency development in the creative sector, but it needs to be aligned with industry priorities. The 2023 creative industries Sector Vision aims to grow the sector by an extra £50 billion by 2030, emphasising the need for increased digitisation and AI application[3].
To address these challenges and opportunities, industry leaders are hosting online meet-ups in December 2024 and January 2025 to discuss the sector's next steps in addressing the AI skills gap. Join the conversation to shape the future of AI skills development in the creative industries.
calendly.com/josephconnor-carefulai/monday-1000-user-meeting
Citations:
[1] https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/perspectives/bridgeai-a-diverse-solution-to-a-diverse-problem/
[2] https://www.techuk.org/resource/addressing-the-ai-skills-gap-will-be-key-for-the-workforce-of-the-future.html
[3] https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/perspectives/ai-image-generation-and-maintenance-future-skills/
[4] https://www.turing.ac.uk/collaborate-turing/current-partnerships-and-collaborations/accenture/solving-uks-ai-skills-gap
[5] https://www.wearesource.co.uk/how-ai-is-transforming-the-creative-sector/
[6] https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creative-industries-skill-gaps/
[7] https://pec.ac.uk/news_entries/new-research-points-to-a-looming-creative-economy-skills- .shortage-across-the-uk/
[8] AI Skills for Business Competency Framework & Resources. Author Alan Turing Institute
https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/ai-skills-for-business-competency-framework-and-resources/
Citation: https://zenodo.org/records/11092677, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
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