Forecasting the future in creative industries: An insightful exploration of networked innovations
In the vibrant landscape of the UK's creative sector, Careful Industries, a renowned socio-technical research and foresight studio, has released the MyWorld report. The report, commissioned by the Creative Industries Council, gathers trends in the creative industries, examining changes in creative and consumer behaviours due to digital technologies and automation.
At the helm of Careful Industries are Rachel Coldicutt OBE, the Technology Strategist and Executive Director, and Dominique Barron, a Design Researcher. Anna Williams serves as the Research Lead.
The MyWorld report identifies a significant shift underway in the creative industries, moving towards a networked model driven by digital tools and processes. This shift will result in an adaptive network within the creative industries, operating beyond traditional organizational and bureaucratic norms.
The report focuses on potential future directions in the creative industries, considering how they might evolve with new technologies, significant industry shifts, and changes in consumer behaviours. Key trends highlighted include:
- Story as Strategy and Authenticity: Creative industries are moving away from simple niche targeting and differentiation claims towards building authentic stories that resonate deeply with audiences.
- AI's Role Beyond Productivity: AI is not just expected to improve productivity but also to influence where and how creators and audiences engage. Audiences are seeking out contexts that are less saturated with AI-generated content, craving authenticity and trust.
- Shift from Backstory to World Building: Instead of relying on origin or backstories, creators are focusing on ongoing demonstrations and sharing slices of their current "world" and life experiences, building real-time relationships with audiences.
- Emphasis on Quality and Depth: There is an emerging "era of quality" where creators prioritize producing deep, well-crafted work that stands out against minimalist or mass-produced trends.
- Increased Accessibility and Collaboration via Technology: AI and digital tools enable creatives to organise ideas, generate content, and start businesses with relatively fewer skills. Additionally, opportunities for global collaboration are expanding creative capacity and innovation.
These trends point to a future for the creative industries that values deep narrative connection, selective use of AI, authentic ongoing engagement, superior quality in production, and global collaborative potential.
The report also details the results of a survey of employers in the UK's creative industries regarding their migrant and skills needs. MyWorld, a £30 million program led by the University of Bristol, is at the forefront of this endeavour, involving 13 partners from the West of England region's creative technologies sector and world-leading academic institutions.
The UK's departure from the EU has affected the way British firms trade and work with European counterparts in the creative industries. However, the MyWorld report provides valuable insights into navigating these changes and positioning the UK's creative sector for success in the future.
[1] Creator Club Blog: [Link to the blog post] [2] Creator Club Blog: [Link to the blog post] [3] Creator Club Blog: [Link to the blog post]
- Careful Industries, led by Rachel Coldicutt OBE, Dominique Barron, and Anna Williams, has unveiled the MyWorld report, exploring trends in the creative industries shaped by technology and automation.
- The MyWorld report points towards a future for the creative industries with a focus on deep narrative connections, selective AI usage, authentic ongoing engagement, superior quality in production, and global collaborative potential.
- Embracing the era of quality, creators are moving away from backstory-driven content towards world building, sharing real-time experiences with their audiences.
- AI is not only expected to improve productivity but also influence how and where creators and audiences engage, as audiences seek out less saturated contexts.
- The MyWorld report identified that creative industries are shifting towards a networked model, using digital tools for an adaptive network that operates beyond traditional norms.
- To address migrant and skills needs in the UK's creative industries, the MyWorld report showcases the results of a survey and collaborative efforts of 13 partners led by the University of Bristol's £30 million program.
