The creative sector is one of Sweden’s most important industries, with a new national strategy and an annual turnover of SEK 650 billion. Yet it faces a major technological shift that requires new skills, new ways of working, and new forms of leadership. There is a clear need to support actors through this transformative period of technological change.
The challenge is not only about the sector’s own development, but also about a broader societal transformation in which the creative industries play a crucial role for cultural diversity, democracy, and innovation.
– The project aims to highlight the possibilities offered by new technologies and to inspire actors to explore and define for themselves how these can be used—while preserving the sector’s core values, says Martina Eriksdotter, Strategy Lead for the Creative Industries at AI Sweden, which leads the initiative.
Strengthen and shape the role of art
Re:Create focuses on the fields of design, architecture, film, and fashion, with both theoretical and practical dimensions. There is a strong need to test real-world implementations that can strengthen existing design processes. The work is carried out through open collaborations between academia, industry, and the public sector.
– With Re:Create, we want to strengthen and shape the role and future of art on its own terms in Sweden. The rapid development of generative AI means that creative industries must take part in experimentation to determine how the technology should be used and what ethical frameworks should apply. This is essential if the sector is to continue playing its democratically important role in society, says Elena Raviola, Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Professor in Design Management and Director of the Business & Design Lab at HDK-Valand.
About the project
Re:Create will run from 2025 to 2027 and will continuously host lectures, case studies, workshops, and conceptual prototype development. The project will serve as a meeting place where the creative sector, academia, the public sector, and technology companies can test, learn, and build the competencies of the future together.
The project is co-financed with SEK 5.54 million from the Region Västra Götaland, the European Union (via the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), and project partners.
Participants include Borås Ink, Film i Väst, Borås Science Park, Chalmers University of Technology, HDK-Valand, and Blekinge Institute of Technology.
