Thou shalt say no to AI! Ten commandments for a superior arts experience in 2026

From banning bad music biopics to making TV shows we can actually see without squinting, Fiona Sturges has devised a new set of rules for the year ahead

When it comes to the creative industries, AI is not a force for good (Getty/iStock)

These are challenging times for the arts and culture. In an era of skyrocketing costs, squeezed budgets and the existential nightmare that is AI, creative types would be forgiven for throwing in the towel and retraining as accountants. But help is at hand! Behold, my 10 commandments to protect and nurture our rich cultural life and get the best out of the arts in 2026.

1. Thou shalt not pay celebrities to ‘write’ children’s books

This isn’t about HarperCollins finally giving its cash cow David Walliams the heave-ho – though seriously, guys, what took you so long? It’s about the hijacking of children’s literature by famouses – Matt Lucas, Keira Knightley, Simon Cowell, Jamie Oliver and Katie Price among them – whose sole qualification for the job appears to be “being on telly”. Their substandard literary efforts are a blight on the industry, hoovering up budgets and squeezing out skilled authors for whom writing is a full-time job and not a cynical exercise in brand expansion.

2. Thou shalt invest in some studio lighting

I can’t be the only one heartily sick of fiddling with the TV settings so I can see through the murk of the latest prestige drama. Cinematographers! Turn up the lights!

3. Thou shalt stop pretending awards ceremonies make good telly

Ariana DeBose visibly out of breath while rapping a list of female nominees; David Tennant murdering The Proclaimers; Adrien Brody’s hour-long Oscars acceptance speech (I exaggerate, but only a little); the Brits showing old footage of Adele while battling a technical hitch. Awards ceremonies can be challenging for those producing them, but that’s nothing next to the purgatory of watching them on TV. Here’s a thought: why not ditch the camera crews and let the celebs get on with their office party behind closed doors?

Brutal: Adrien Brody going on and on at the Oscars (AFP/Getty)

4. Thou shalt pay musicians

As if streaming services weren’t deadly enough for musicians – Spotify typically pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream – touring has become unsustainable for all but the biggest acts. Prohibitive production costs plus the unscrupulous practices of ticketing companies mean musicians can count themselves lucky if they don’t emerge from their sell-out tour mired in debt. Let this be the year that we come up with a fairer system for artists where they don’t have to bankrupt themselves to make and perform the music we love.

5. Thou shalt cherish the BBC while we have it

The corporation continues to lurch from one crisis to the next. Yes, its flaws are evident: it is bloated, complacent and slow to come clean when it screws up. But it is also entwined in our culture and everyday lives. It gets us out of bed in the mornings, acts as a weathervane and temperature gauge, delivers the news, helps us decide what to cook, offers world-class escapism and reads us bedtime stories. Dismiss the Beeb at your peril. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.

6. Thou shalt not shortchange theatregoers with attention-seeking stunts

When Rachel Zegler, star of Jamie Lloyd’s production of Evita, went out to the Palladium balcony to perform the showstopper “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” at passers-by in London’s West End, it pulled vast crowds. Zegler may have been due a win after the gargantuan flop that was Snow White, but spare a thought for the theatregoers who took out a mortgage for their tickets, only to have to watch a chunk of the show via video feed.

Crowd teaser: Rachel Zegler performs ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ (London Palladium)

7. Thou shalt not turn your podcast into terrible TV

There is no stopping podcasting’s pivot to video, an annoying development that has foisted yet more production costs onto creators and has, in many cases, resulted in ghastly experiences for both viewers and listeners. Roman Mars, host of the US series 99% Invisible, put it best when he said: “I just think it’s so much cooler and more interesting to try to be the best audio show rather than the s***tiest television show.”

8. Thou shalt say no to AI-augmented ‘art’

It scarcely needs pointing out that, when it comes to the creative industries, AI is not a force for good. It puts skilled people out of work, stunts the imagination and makes us all stupider. It also flagrantly robs from artists and writers whose work is used without their permission to train algorithms. It’s up to audiences to champion the work of flesh-and-blood creators and refuse to engage with cheap facsimiles made of code.

9. Thou shalt bin the music biopic

Show me a half-decent film about a rock star’s rise to fame and I’ll show you 10 more that are unwatchable. Bohemian Rhapsody? A horror show. Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis? Atrocious. Bob Marley: One Love, Back to Black, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere? Please God, no more. There are many reasons why these movies are so terrible: the formulaic storylines, meddling from the artist’s estate, actors turning themselves into excruciating tribute acts. Alas, with films about Madonna and Michael Jackson in the works, this is a fad that’s not going away.

10. Thou shalt ditch the wilfully nondescript band names

I’m looking at you Laundromat, Dry Cleaning, English Teacher, Feet and Adult DVD: you are a great band but searching for you online is a nightmare.