Shaping AI before it shapes society

A teenager scrolling through social media today can encounter a deepfake political speech, an AI-generated song, a fabricated news story and a digitally restored Beatles recording - all within a matter of minutes. The challenge is no longer whether artificial intelligence will transform our societies. It already has. The real question is whether we can equip citizens, especially young people, to navigate this new reality while preserving the values that define our democracies and cultures. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we learn, create, communicate and participate in public life. In education, it offers unprecedented opportunities for personalised learning and access to knowledge. In culture, it is opening new possibilities for artistic expression, heritage preservation and creative collaboration. Yet these opportunities are accompanied by serious risks, from disinformation and manipulation to threats against intellectual property, artistic integrity and democratic debate. 

For the EPP Group, this is not simply a debate about technology. It is a debate about democracy, education, culture and Europe's future competitiveness. Artificial intelligence is already influencing how citizens access information, how culture is created and consumed, and how young people engage with the world around them. 

As AI-generated content becomes increasingly present in our daily lives, transparency becomes essential. Citizens should be able to understand when and how artificial intelligence has been used to create text, images, audio recordings or video. Trust in the digital age depends not only on innovation but also on clarity and accountability. 

Across Europe, social media has become a primary source of information for younger generations. In an era where AI can generate convincing text, images, audio and video at scale, distinguishing fact from fiction is becoming increasingly difficult. The consequences affect trust in institutions, social cohesion and citizens' ability to participate meaningfully in democratic life. 

At the same time, AI is transforming culture in ways that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago. The use of AI technology to restore John Lennon's voice and allow The Beatles to complete ‘Now and Then’ demonstrated how technology can enhance human creativity rather than replace it. 

But AI also raises fundamental questions about authenticity. More than eight in ten  Europeans say they prefer content created by humans rather than by artificial intelligence. They understand that culture is not simply content production. It is expression, identity and human connection. 

As Pope Leo XIV notes in his recent encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’, artificial intelligence is neither neutral in its development nor in its impact. The choices made by developers, businesses, policymakers and users all influence how these technologies shape our societies, economies and democracies. This is why Europe's approach must be guided by a simple principle: innovation and responsibility must advance together. 

The EPP Group believes that Europe must embrace AI as a tool for progress while ensuring that human creativity, democratic values and cultural diversity remain at its core. While Europe has already taken important regulatory steps, legislation alone is not enough. 

The current legislative framework was not designed to address all the specific characteristics of the cultural and creative sectors. The AI strategy for the cultural and creative sectors, which the European Commission is expected to launch in early 2027 as part of the European Cultural Compass, should therefore be ambitious, comprehensive and attentive to citizens' concerns. 

Generative AI systems rely heavily on cultural and creative works, yet creators often lack transparency regarding how their work is used and whether they are fairly remunerated when value is generated from it. At the same time, recommendation algorithms increasingly determine what people see, hear and discover online. 

If these systems favour scale and commercially predictable outputs, we risk marginalising independent creators, minority languages and the cultural diversity that lies at the heart of Europe's identity. 

Education must therefore become our first line of defence and our greatest opportunity. 

Digital literacy, media literacy and AI literacy should be considered essential skills for the 21^st century. Young Europeans must learn not only how to use AI tools, but also how to understand their limitations, critically assess information and recognise manipulation when they encounter it. At the same time, creators, cultural organisations and educational institutions must be supported in adapting to a rapidly changing digital environment. 

The timing could not be more urgent. AI capabilities are evolving faster than our institutions, educational systems, and cultural policies can adapt. At a time of growing geopolitical competition and increasing polarisation, Europe must invest in the skills, creativity and resilience of its people. 

Europe now faces a defining choice. We can allow artificial intelligence to shape our societies according to commercial incentives, or we can ensure that it serves human creativity, democratic resilience and cultural diversity. 

The future will not be decided by algorithms alone. It will be decided by the values we embed in them and the citizens we empower through education. If we get this right, artificial intelligence will not diminish our humanity. It will help us express it more fully than ever before.