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Research carried out at UNIGE suggests ways to rethink the distribution of value generated by artistic production in the age of digital platforms and AI.
Digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming how artistic production is created, distributed and consumed. Research conducted at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) explores the implications of these transformations for the distribution of value in the digital economy. This research, published in the book Creative Value Chains: Copyright and Beyond for a Better Value Distribution, proposes a new economic model to ensure a fairer distribution among artists, platforms and users based on shared governance and remuneration. The publication is accompanied by "Law By Music" performance-lectures combining live music and AI-generated visuals, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the legal, economic and ethical issues raised by contemporary creative practices.
According to recent data from the music streaming platform Deezer, nearly 44 per cent of new tracks uploaded to streaming services are now generated entirely by AI, representing around 75,000 tracks per day. Against this backdrop, growing competition on streaming platforms is making it increasingly difficult for artists to gain visibility and, more broadly, is affecting the conditions under which they are remunerated for their work. In addition, AI models are often trained, at least in part, on copyright protected works (e.g., texts, images, music) to generate new works that compete with human works. This threats human creativity and cultural diversity.
These platforms turn not only cultural works, but also users' interactions into monetisable data that can be exploited for targeted advertising or used to train AI models.
"Today's digital economy relies on a largely invisible workforce: not only the creators of cultural content, who are often poorly remunerated—or not remuneratedat all—but also internet users, whose data generates considerable value," explains Yaniv Benhamou, Professor of Digital, Information and Media Law and Director of the Digital Law Center (DLC) at the Faculty of Law of the UNIGE.
In the book Creative Value Chains: Copyright and Beyond for a Better Value Distribution, published by Bristol University Press and drawing on 20 years of research in the field, the researcher examines how digital platforms capture the lion's share of the value generated online, often to the detriment of artists, and internet users. He proposes a new economic and legal framework grounded in principles of distributive justice and aimed at achieving a fairer distribution of value.
Three types of platforms
In his work, Yaniv Benhamou examines three main categories of creative industries and players:
- Music streaming platforms, such as Spotify
- Social media platforms, such as TikTok
- Generative artificial intelligence systems, such as OpenAI (ChatGPT)
"These platforms turn not only cultural works, but also users' interactions into monetisable data that can be exploited for targeted advertising or used to train AI models," explains the researcher.
The concept of the "creative value chain", which lies at the heart of the book, challenges the traditional view of creation as the result of a single author. According to the author, every artistic work emerges from a series of stages, actors and interactions in the creative process involving artists, cultural professionals and audiences. This perspective calls for broader recognition of the various actors involved in the creative process, including internet users, whose online activities help generate value.
Concrete proposals to restore balance to the system
To reform the system, Professor Benhamou puts forward several proposals:
- New remuneration rights for streaming and AI training, extended to metadata and usage data.
- Clearer contacts combined with data cooperatives that collectively negotiate rights and distribute the value generated by online uses.
- Public policy measures to strengthen creative professions and build a more resilient creative sector, notably to strengthen its bargaining power towards platforms.
- New governance models, such as co-owned platforms owned by artists and users, combined with data-tracking technologies to automate and allocate royalty payments.
The aim is to increase transparency and rebalance power asymetry between platforms and creative workers.
To mark the publication of his book, Yaniv Benhamou is presenting an innovative approach to science communication: "Law By Music" performance-lectures combining live music augmented by AI-generated visuals that react in real-time to the music. These events aim to provide a concrete illustration of the legal, economic and ethical issues surrounding creativity in the digital age. An upcoming performance is scheduled in Geneva on 24 September 2026.
Yaniv Benhamou, ''Creative Value Chains: Copyright and Beyond for a Better Value Distribution''
Bristol University Press, 2026, 274 p.
Opening event: "Law By Music" performance-lecture, 24 September 2026, Downtown Studio.
Further information: creativevaluechains.com
