The 2026 AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report focuses its analysis on the profound transformation that generative artificial intelligence is driving within the creative industries. In a time of unprecedented technological acceleration, this edition explores how AI has moved from being perceived as a threat to becoming a structural asset and a lever for innovation that redefines cultural creation, management, and consumption throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

The core idea of this year’s Focus, titled “Mapping the Use of AI in Spanish-language Digital Creation,” offers a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of these tools in the sector. Through detailed mapping, it identifies a “standard cultural AI kit” and examines the new geopolitics of digital power, analyzing technological sovereignty strategies in the face of the hegemony of major global markets. Featuring insights from experts in performing arts, visual arts, film, music, books, and video games, the report demonstrates that AI does not replace human sensibility but rather enhances it, positioning the cultural manager as an essential mediator in this new era.

Furthermore, this edition includes reflections from prominent authors addressing digital culture challenges from multiple angles: Lucía Velasco analyzes the reconfiguration of global cultural power; Eugenia Tenenbaum reflects on context in digital art criticism; Domingo Sánchez-Mesa Martínez explores resistance to post-truth through narrative hybridization; Henar León examines the invisible power of algorithms in consumption; Jordi Pérez Colomé dissects the era of newsletters; Carlos Bayod Lucini and Blanca Balbuena Lorenzo study digital facsimiles and heritage preservation; Solimán López proposes new ways to store cultural memory; Natalia Marín Navarro addresses the digital challenge in comics; Paula Gonzalo analyzes children’s literature in the face of the algorithmic challenge; Julia Iriarte explores play mechanics in childhood; Juan Aparicio Belmonte investigates the algorithmic mediation of characters; and Darío López Rincón covers video game preservation and consumer rights.

The AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report is the result of Acción Cultural Española’s ongoing reflection since 2013 on the integration of technology into the cultural sector. This publication seeks to provide professionals with critical tools to navigate digital transformation and foster a diverse, ethical cultural ecosystem committed to innovation in Spanish.