Creative UK to launch ‘AI Engage’ with support from Google.org – helping creatives to access free AI productivity tools for business growth

Creative UK is pleased to announce it will soon be launching ‘AI Engage’ – a new UK-wide programme aimed at boosting business opportunities for creatives in the age of AI and ensuring responsible tech adoption for the UK’s world-leading creative industries.

The programme, made possible thanks to funding from Google.org, aims to support under-served creative professionals by equipping them with practical and AI skills to improve productivity, creative workflows and market competitiveness.

Its focus is exclusively on business productivity tools  – and comes on the back of key research into AI and tech adoption within the creative industries:  one of the nation’s fastest-growing economic powerhouses – worth £146 billion in GVA, and accounting for 2.4 million jobs and £70 billion in exports.

Programme outcomes are in line with key recommendations made in the UK Government’s AI Adoption Plan for the Creative Industries (June 2026) – which cites the need for more formal, practical and sector-specific training, and the need to reduce cost barriers for responsible adoption.

Crucially, it looks to address the challenge of uneven adoption: with Creative UK’s own DCMS-commissioned research finding that many creatives – including freelancers, micro-businesses, early-stage AI users and underrepresented groups – are at risk being left behind as AI adoption accelerates in bigger firms and other sectors. The report found that smaller creative firms could benefit significantly from structured support when it comes to the responsible adoption of tech and AI tools that could help them to manage their workloads.

Creative UK is looking forward to working with creative practitioners to build this programme and deliver this work in a meaningful way.

More details of the programme will be announced later this year.

Creative UK on AI:

In the age of AI, human creativity is more valuable than ever. AI should support creativity to grow and flourish – never replace it. And as technology develops, it’s important that creatives are the ones to shape how it works for our industry.

This is not about widespread or rapid adoption. It’s about ensuring that AI supports the creative economy, and that programmes work for us.

Creative UK’s role is to convene the discussion around AI and its adoption, ensuring perspectives from a wide range of organisations and individuals are considered. The work we do will always try and capture the full spectrum of views – ranging from creators and businesses who are already using AI and want to be upskilled, to those who’ve tried it and stepped back, to those who are not seeking to engage with AI for a range of reasons.

On Generative AI, Creative UK will continue to advocate in favour of creatives and a licensing‑first approach. Our core position is pro-transparency, fair remuneration and consent. We think this is key to ensuring the UK remains an IP‑owning nation with a strong creative economy. More can be found in The Case for the Creative Industries: An Advocacy Toolkit (July 2026).

On AI productivity tools, Creative UK advocates for a responsible adoption plan for the sector, with creatives shaping what this looks like. Clear recommendations were made in Creative UK’s report, Emerging Technology: Adoption in the Cultural and Creative Industries (June 2026).

There’s no doubt that the UK has an unparallelled capacity for innovation. At Creative UK, we are passionate about giving our world-leading talent the best platform to thrive and have their ideas seen and appreciated as widely as possible.