Future of Creative Industries and IP in the Age of AI

Researchers and practitioners discussed Jan 16th, 2026, at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) the opportunities and threads of use of AI in creative industries and the legal and technical tools to protects author’s IP.

„The Future of Crative Industries and IP in the age of AI“- the Symposium was marking the 10th anniversary of Institute of Property Research (IPRE) which organized the event together with the Research Unit Real Estate Development and Management (RED), the Regional Chamber for Chartered Engineering Consultants in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland (BKZT) and Mofidian Anwaltskanzlei.

The symposium was opened by Bernhard Sommer, the President of the Regional Chamber for Chartered Engineering Consultants in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. His thesis that AI is finding its way into architectural offices, but is still rarely based on a corporate strategy, was confirmed by a scientific survey conducted as part of the symposium. Univ.Prof. Dietmar Wiegand, head of Research Unit Real Estate Development and Management (RED) at TU Wien and Rector at Munich University of digital Technologies and Applied Sciences (MUDT) explained that AI is fundamentally and rapidly changing creative work, offering opportunities for more efficient and creative work, but also bringing challenges, such as in the protection of intellectual property (IP). Paul Lensing representing IPRE emphasized that it was humanity’s responsibility to design AI in such a way that the positive effects outweigh the negative ones.

In the first part of the symposium experts presented and discussed current possibilities for creators to protect their IP. Legal expert Manuel Monfidian stated very clear, that generative Artificial Intelligence tools (gAI) can produce images in the style of a famous artist or architect within seconds and “styles” are not protected by copyright law at least at present in Europe. Johannes Oster gAI specialist at TU Wien, was also very clear: artists and architects should immediately stop uploading images of their work on the internet or in social media without “poisoning” them. Invisible manipulation of the images make it nearly impossible for AI companies to copy design styles.

The second part was dedicated to the integration of AI in the workflow of artists and architects as well as to the topic of the regulation of AI in Europe. Artist Kris Kashtanova demonstrated how she creates using different AI tools as a partner in different creative processes. Shajay Bhooshan, associate at Zaha Hadid Architects and founder of ZHA CODE, presented how advanced computational tools and AI are already transforming architectural workflows. One of the key lessons of the symposium was, that ZHA CODE based on profound understanding of their data and planning processes create with the help of AI within a few days their own AI tools for their specific way to design. Shajay Bhooshan made very clear, that according to his experience it is easier for small agile offices and workgroups to develop and implement AI tools in design and management processes. Mariya Korolova (TU Wien) emphasized the need for adjustments to architectural education and outlined possible changes.

Univ.Prof. Cristian Piska, “disruptive tech lawyer” at University of Vienna, pointed out that the regulations existing in Europe in the context of AI often fail to achieve their objectives because they were designed unprofessionally and without consideration of other laws.

By bringing together architects, AI developers, and legal experts, the symposium was a catalyst for a new multidisciplinary network and a high-level roundtable for the future of the field. Institute of Property Research (IPRE) will continue the discussion begun at the symposium and invite to an interdisciplinary expert roundtable on „Creative Industries in the Age of AI.“ Those interested can register at contact@ipre.at.

The recording of the session is going to be published soon on the IPRE website: https://ipre.at/