International conference on creativity and culture begins

An international conference on promoting human creativity and the diversity of cultural expressions in the digital environment began on October 27 at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in Paris. The event is held within the framework of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and brings together a wide range of cultural actors, including business personalities, digital experts, journalists, and officials.

Focus on AI and cultural diversity

Discussions focus on the impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on cultural diversity, artistic creation, and creative industries. The conference is divided into three sub-themes: "Creativity in the Age of AI: Between Human Creation and Synthetic Production," "developing AI systems that respect rights and the diversity of cultural expressions," and "facilitating the discoverability of a diversity of cultural content in the age of AI."

Africa's digital representation challenges

The conference highlights the challenges faced by the African continent in the digital environment, where a few languages and cultural references dominate. UNESCO notes that Africa hosts approximately a third of the world's languages, with estimates ranging between 1,500 and 3,000 languages. However, these languages remain largely underrepresented in digital technologies and artificial intelligence models.

Underrepresentation in AI data sets

Although some African languages such as Wolof, Yoruba, or Swahili are being integrated, Africa remains insufficiently represented in the data sets used to train AI systems. This situation promotes cultural biases, representation errors, and the invisibility of certain realities on the continent.

AI and intangible heritage concerns

The challenge goes beyond the technological framework, also concerning the preservation and transmission of African intangible heritage. While AI opens new perspectives for African cultural industries by reducing costs and improving productivity in cinema, media, music, or advertising, its deployment raises concerns about employment, the remuneration of creators, the protection of copyright, and the use of works for training models, fueling debates on intellectual property.