Public subsidies for French cinema will change to protect creation in the face of AI

Culture Minister Catherine Pégard announces that the CNC, the main funder of the 7th art in France, will soon modify its rules.

A change in funding rules to protect cinema and audiovisual artists from AI reliance was announced on Saturday, May 16 by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard during a meeting with French cinema industry players on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, as the AI issue shakes the global film sector.

“Creation is not reuse, it’s an act of innovation (..)“, stated Pégard. “Artificial intelligence is a tool. It can accelerate, facilitate, enrich the film production. But an oeuvre is a perspective, it’s an intention, it’s emotions,” continued the minister, “which is why the CNC will soon modify the rules regarding these grants, to ensure the respect for a simple principle, aiding human creation.”

The National Center for Cinema and Animated Image (CNC), with an annual budget of over 800 million euros, plays a crucial role in financing the 7th art and the entire audiovisual sector. “It will not support tomorrow an oeuvre without an author,” stated the minister, adding that for dubbing, “only human interpretation can be supported“.

This does not mean “banning the use of artificial intelligence in works,” clarified the minister, but rather not supporting “works where AI would replace the creator, instead of providing additional tools. Respect for human creation applies to value sharing as well as employment protection,” concluded the Culture Minister. She is set to meet her European counterparts in Cannes to discuss the protection of works.