Policymakers, cultural stakeholders and experts gathered in Brussels this week for a European Commission conference dedicated to the discoverability of diverse European cultural content in the digital environment. The event focused on how European music, books, and other cultural works can remain visible and accessible online in an ecosystem increasingly shaped by global platforms, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

The conference builds on the findings of the study on the discoverability of diverse European cultural content, commissioned under the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023–2026. Speakers highlighted that while Europe produces a wealth of cultural content, availability alone no longer guarantees visibility. Algorithms, platform design, metadata quality and market concentration increasingly determine which works audiences actually encounter.

Discussions addressed sector-specific challenges in music and books, where streaming platforms and online marketplaces now act as key gatekeepers. Participants also explored the wider implications of generative AI, which is accelerating content saturation and raising concerns about the visibility of human-created European works. The conference underlined the need to align cultural policy, digital regulation and innovation funding to ensure that Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity remains visible and competitive online.
 

Policy considerations: What’s at stake for the EU

1. From Availability to Exposure

EU cultural policy has traditionally focused on supporting the production and circulation of European works. The conference reinforced a growing consensus that policy must now address exposure diversity: what audiences are actually recommended, see, and engage with on digital platforms, not just what exists online.
Policy implication: Cultural objectives need to be integrated into platform governance, interface design and recommendation systems, without undermining freedom of expression or innovation.

2. Platform Power and Algorithmic Transparency

Large platforms increasingly determine visibility through opaque ranking and recommendation systems. While instruments such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) improve transparency and user choice, their impact on cultural discoverability remains indirect.
Policy implication: The EU could strengthen cooperation between cultural policy and digital regulation to better monitor how algorithms affect cultural diversity, potentially developing culture-specific transparency and auditing tools.

3. Metadata, Language and Infrastructure Gaps

Poor or inconsistent metadata, weak multilingual tagging, and fragmented digital infrastructures limit the discoverability of European works—especially those from smaller linguistic markets or independent creators.
Policy implication: Investment in shared standards, interoperable data spaces (e.g. through Europeana and the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage), and AI-assisted but human-supervised metadata tools should be accelerated.

4. Generative AI and Cultural Visibility

The rapid growth of AI-generated content risks overwhelming digital catalogues and further marginalising European cultural works. At the same time, AI also offers tools to improve recommendation diversity and multilingual access.
Policy implication: Implementation of the AI Act should be aligned with cultural policy goals, including clear labelling of AI-generated content and support for AI that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity.

5. Audiences, Skills and Equity

Discoverability is shaped not only by platforms, but also by audience behaviour, digital literacy and age-related habits. Younger users rely heavily on algorithmic and social media pathways, while older audiences tend to use traditional discovery channels.
Policy implication: Audience-focused measures such as digital and AI literacy, inclusive design, and targeted awareness campaigns are essential to ensure that diverse European content is genuinely encountered.

6. A Need for Coordinated Governance

The conference highlighted that discoverability cuts across culture, digital policy, competition, research and education.
Policy implication: A permanent EU multi‑stakeholder forum on cultural discoverability, as recommended by the study, could help align regulation, funding, platform practices and sector needs over time.