How AI is changing work
Entertainment & events
New instruments, and clear agreements about who makes what.
In music, games and live events, AI is both a tool and a point of contention. Makers use it for production, code, concepts and planning; organisers use it for programme advice and predicting crowds. Rights organisations, unions and audiences are pushing for clear agreements on consent, payment and what counts as your own work.
What changes
- Musicians use AI for ideas, separating tracks, mixing and planning.
- Game studios use AI for programming and for images and text in the concept phase.
- Festivals and events use AI to predict crowds and help visitors choose.
- Generated music and voices compete with human work in shops and advertising.
Where people make the difference
- Performing and the connection with the audience.
- Game design, story and the voice of a character, with consent.
- Safety and atmosphere at an event: stepping in when things go wrong.
How AI is already used
Registering with AI as a tool
At BumaStemra, you register a work you made with AI as a tool as your own work. If only the lyrics or only the composition were made by AI, you get paid for your part.
BumaStemraPermission first for training
Since March 2024, anyone who wants to train AI on music from the BumaStemra repertoire must ask for permission in advance.
BumaStemraAI music in the shop
Brico and Carrefour in Belgium play AI music that is mixed by a human producer. Sabam warns that 25 to 28 percent of songwriters' income from public spaces could disappear.
VRT NWSA synthetic voice for advertising
In 2024, Aldi replaced the voice of its adverts with an AI voice, made from recordings of ten employees.
NOSAI as a tool, not a replacement
Research among almost 1,200 musicians in five countries, including the Netherlands, shows that most use AI for ideas, production and planning. Almost 90 percent do not automate contact with fans.
IO+ on PlatforMuse researchHalf of game makers
According to the Dutch Games Monitor, half of Dutch game studios use generative AI, mainly for programming and in the concept phase. The final product is usually still made by people.
Gamepraat, 2025Agreements with voice actors
An eleven-month strike by American voice and motion-capture actors in games ended in July 2025 with an agreement that requires consent and disclosure for every digital AI replica.
Windows Central, 2025A guide to 1,300 events
EY and Amsterdam Dance Event built an AI assistant that helps visitors choose from almost 1,300 events, based on preferences, time and location.
Vrije Tijd Amsterdam, 2026Predicting crowds at SAIL
During SAIL Amsterdam 2025, TU Delft PhD candidates and small businesses tested AI models that predict crowd flows, live in a digital replica of the event site.
AIC4NL
Where the sector is heading
BumaStemra registers work made with AI as a tool in the normal way. Work that is 100% generated by AI, without a human creative contribution, cannot be registered.
BumaStemraThe voices of well-known Dutch singers can be recognised in AI music. A singing voice is not protected by copyright, but it is covered by privacy law as personal data.
NOSSena does not grant licences to developers of AI models. Anyone who plays generated music in public still pays for a licence.
Sena
What a maker can do for you here
- “Make custom background music for our shops, with clear rights.”
- “Make concept art and prototypes for our game, so we can test faster.”
- “Build a programme assistant for our festival that helps visitors choose.”
- “Make a voice-over in several languages with a voice for which consent has been given.”
Researched on 5 October 2026. Know a good example from the Netherlands? Let us know.