Dangerous ideas to unlock the UK’s creative economy

Britain has always been a nation defined by its willingness to break conventions. From the first steam engines of the Industrial Revolution to the creation of the World Wide Web, our greatest successes have come from individuals and institutions willing to break the mould and reject established thinking.

This legacy of disruptive ingenuity is our most valuable asset as we navigate the seismic collision between human creativity and the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

The UK’s creative industries are a genuine powerhouse, growing 1.5 times faster than the overall economy and worth an estimated £124bn. They employ 2.4 million people, a figure that continues to climb post-pandemic, and, crucially, the pace of change and adoption is staggering. The Creative Industries Census for 2025 reveals 60% of creative employees have started using AI regularly, up from just 10% a year ago.

Historic intersection

This moment presents a national opportunity we cannot afford to miss. The IMF estimates that fully adopting AI could boost productivity by as much as 1.5 percentage points a year, worth an average of £47bn to the UK each year over a decade. This potential is not just about a few companies or individuals; it’s a national imperative that requires radical thinking across education, policy and infrastructure.

More than 50 professionals recently gathered in London at the Here East campus, which convenes entrepreneurs, creatives and technologists, to debate the friction points and opportunities presented by this convergence.

Our mission was to uncover the ‘dangerous ideas’ needed to unlock the future of the creative sector. What became abundantly clear is that we are standing at a historic intersection of creative might and technological potential, and we must meet the moment with radical thinking and immediate action. The following are the four dangerous ideas we uncovered.

1. Establish place-based sandbox environments

While the UK is world-leading in scientific research, we often struggle with translating cutting-edge ideas into scalable commercial output, the translation of an idea into hardware and software. We need to establish dedicated, funded, place-based sandbox environments where artists, designers and technologists can freely integrate, experiment and collaborate.

We’ve seen this happen at Here East – regional clusters with on-site state-of-the-art technology address the urgent need for better integration of disciplines, allowing for broad thinking that covers the full spectrum of tech and creative disciplines.

These would be more than co-working spaces; they would be dedicated hubs across the country that give people the opportunity to experiment with AI in processes like filmmaking and research, to test new concepts without the immediate pressure of commercialisation.

2. Reimagine public libraries

We must completely rethink how we view and use our public libraries, which are seeing a historical decline as a community cornerstone. Fixing this will require merging our past with our tech-enhanced future, transforming them into digital education hubs. By injecting these public spaces with state-of-the-art tooling and democratising access to the latest software technology, we can fundamentally reset the relationship between individuals and third spaces.

This transforms the library from simply a repository of books into the ultimate and easily accessible digital public space, where people can explore in a way only previously dreamed of.

This would serve the full population, not just the wealthy few who can afford the latest equipment or training. It would create a better creative community by connecting the network of places where we learn, enhancing our competitiveness and presence on the global stage.

3. Mandate a ‘build-your-own-degree’ model

The current higher education system is increasingly seen as broken, putting students into narrow pathways of study with increased levels of debt. To fix this, we must create a new type of degree. One that would shift the focus away from accumulating fixed hours in a specific field into a bespoke future-proof accreditation centred around skill-based learning.

We can go one step further and apply this thinking to specific subjects by making storytelling – the ability to articulate a vision and communicate value – a compulsory integrated aspect of every subject. Whether studying engineering, business, or medicine, the importance of storytelling is paramount.

This will ensure learners can navigate a challenging world where AI adds more pressure to traditional forms of study and where skills-based learning is often stripped out. In short, we want people to learn in a different, unique and more stimulating way.

4. Abolish outdated careers guidance

The traditional education system needs a radical overhaul to prepare young people for a world where AI can be an embedded colleague rather than a looming competitor. We must do away with outdated, rigid careers guidance and empower young people to set the agenda by giving them direct, scalable access to high-end creative tools and real-world experiences.

This isn’t about just breaking the mould of traditional thinking surrounding career weeks. It involves giving students an experience they may not have otherwise, one that is scalable and allows for genuine learning by doing. This rethink would provide better access to tools and allow students to set their own interdisciplinary agendas, moving away from a system that is suffering from too many boundaries and too much pressure to produce something tangible or commercial.

The choice is clear. We have the talent, the experience and the ambition to lead the world into the next creative era, but only if we embrace unconventional thinking to unlock our latent potential.