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Published On
January 7, 2026
2026 marks a decisive year for artificial intelligence across media and creative industries. AI has moved rapidly from experimentation into everyday professional workflows, raising practical questions around accountability, trust, creative rights, labour, and cultural impact.
The AI in Media Institute’s 2026 Governance & Work Programme sets out how the Institute is responding to this moment. It explains how priorities are defined, how research and evidence inform decision-making, how industry is convened, and how shared frameworks and guidance are developed through collaboration rather than enforcement.
This programme is designed to support responsible, human-centred AI adoption that works in practice for media organisations, creative professionals, policymakers, and audiences.
The 2026 programme exists to:
The Institute is sector-led and non-regulatory. Its role is to support alignment, not enforcement.
The Institute operates through a structured model designed to balance leadership, evidence, and collaboration.
This structure allows the Institute to move deliberately while remaining responsive to emerging issues.
In 2026, the Institute is focusing on four priority workstreams:
Focus on accountability, transparency, and trust in AI-assisted media and creative production, including how responsibility is assigned and how confidence is maintained in professional outputs.
Examination of how creative work is used within AI systems, including consent, attribution, and compensation in practice.
Focus on AI adoption in advertising, creative agencies, branded media, and platform contexts, with editorial and newsroom settings following as the work develops.
Exploration of the cultural and social impacts of AI in media, including bias, stereotyping, and representation.
The Institute convenes three standing Foundational Working Groups to support its programme of work. These groups operate through structured roundtables and working sessions, with flexible and proportionate involvement.
Focus on jobs, skills, professional roles, labour protections, attribution, disclosure, and fair work in an AI-enabled creative economy.
Focus on how creative work is recognised, attributed, licensed, and compensated across AI-driven media systems.
Focus on governance, accountability, risk, transparency, and human oversight within real media and creative workflows.
Working groups co-create consensus-led frameworks, guidelines, reference models, and principles for practice.
Research is a core function of the Institute and operates independently across all areas of work. The Institute undertakes surveys, workforce mapping, audience trust research, market analysis, and applied case studies.
Research outputs may be published independently and also inform workstreams and working group deliberation.
Education supports the Institute’s governance work by translating shared understanding into professional capability. In 2026, this includes the launch of AI Fundamentals for Media and Creative Professionals, alongside additional role-specific education aligned to Institute priorities.
Organisations and individuals can engage with the Institute by:
The 2026 Governance & Work Programme establishes the foundations for long-term, sector-led AI governance in media and creative industries. As the programme develops, the Institute will continue to refine its priorities, outputs, and engagement based on evidence, practice, and collaboration.
This document sets out the Institute’s operating approach for 2026 and will be reviewed as the programme evolves.
Ready to shape the future of AI in media? Explore our educational programs, attend our events, or connect with fellow professionals. Your voice matters—let’s lead the conversation together.
