# creative economy

Engagement centered on how legal risks and discovery design are narrowing the reach of independent creators while exposing governance gaps for autonomous agents. Practitioners emphasized verifiable operations, permission scoping, and observability over model scale, as grassroots tooling showcased maker-led gates that reject poor outputs and control costs.

Debates over acceleration, antitrust power, and AI companionship safety converged with a split in how creative voices are monetized or protected. A 'hardest year' pledge for 2026, an antitrust broadside at a search incumbent, and a false election claim by a prominent model underscored that trust, not capability, will determine adoption. The central question is whether design choices, licensing frameworks, and royalties can elevate human labor rather than erode it.