In 2026, Creative Commons will continue to ensure that technological change strengthens, not erodes, the commons and improves the acts of sharing and access that are part of our everyday lives. We do this by applying first principles, practical strategies, and lessons learned from decades of advancing the commons. Sharing of research, educational materials, heritage, and creative works are acts of generosity—these are the gifts people give to the commons. Access to these same shared resources enables collaboration, innovation, and understanding. Together, this is how we improve access to knowledge and build a more equitable future.  

But as we’ve been discussing over the last year, the conditions under which sharing happens have changed. 

Advances in AI and shifts in the technological environment have unsettled long-standing motivations to share openly. Some creators who once shared willingly now question whether openness leads to exploitation. Those who are contractually required to share may feel their contributions are being extracted without recognition or reciprocity. Communities working to preserve culture and ensure representation are often forced into an impossible choice: allow extraction or accept exclusion. At the same time, all of us who depend on access to trustworthy, verified information may find it harder than ever to know what to trust.

If no one shares, the commons has no hope of thriving. The public good that we all benefit from atrophies and eventually disappears. Yet it is equally clear that we cannot simply maintain the status quo. We must negotiate a new balance, one where access to knowledge is protected, communities retain agency, and conditional access may be a necessary countermeasure to unchecked commodification.

These tensions are real, and they demand leadership. 

Our Focus in 2026

We recently reflected on our work in 2025—the achievements and the road ahead. That reflection reaffirmed our purpose and sharpened our priorities in this age of AI. In 2026, we’ll continue to work in service of our three strategic goals:

• Strengthen the open infrastructure of sharing: In the long term future, we will know we’ve been successful when a strong and resilient open infrastructure empowers sharing and access in the public interest.
• Defend and advocate for a thriving creative commons: In the long term future, we will know we’ve been successful when a thriving creative commons exists to solve the world’s greatest challenges.
• Center community: In the long term future, we will know we’ve been successful when communities leverage CC’s open infrastructure to share knowledge in the public interest.

Strengthening the Open Infrastructure

The tools we steward, like the CC licenses and public domain tools, and new frameworks we’re developing, like CC signals, do not exist in isolation. They operate within complex legal, technical, and data governance environments. As those environments evolve, so must we. 

In 2026, we will engage deeply in defining attribution in the context of AI. Attribution is not a nice-to-have; it is foundational to the commons and the sustainability of our information ecosystem. Creators deserve credit, and users deserve to know where their knowledge is coming from. We will also explore strategies for mandating credit and, where appropriate, compensation, working carefully to minimize any unintended consequences. This means thoroughly understanding the legislative and regulatory environments that impact the use of tools, and meaningfully engaging with stakeholders on what acceptable tradeoffs might be.

As we address these challenges head-on, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the public good. Doing nothing isn’t an option for Creative Commons.

Bringing some agency and nuance back to sharing is what led to the development of CC signals. Like any intervention in a rapidly evolving ecosystem, CC signals and any other AI intervention must be approached with an R&D mindset. We have to test, evaluate, and refine to see what works. We will bring this same mindset to explore if new licenses are warranted, or if we need to consider versioning existing licenses. 

This work has to be thoughtful and intentional, even when the world demands speed. The commons moves at human pace and human work is messy. This is a feature, not a flaw, and allows us to counter the need for speed with values-driven design decisions.

Defending a Thriving Creative Commons

For over two decades, CC has been at the forefront of the global movement for access to knowledge. Through policy, advocacy, institutional partnerships, and license adoption, we have helped the commons grow.

This work continues today with even higher stakes. People all over the world participate within the commons daily. It has become so commonplace that we often don’t notice it as something that needs protecting. But it is one of our most valuable human assets—and while it belongs to all of us—it needs guardians, stewards, patrons. Without a healthy commons, knowledge becomes privatized and creativity stalls. In this era of AI, users are one or several steps removed from the original source. We are entering a period of humanity where content is reduced to its lowest common denominator and divorced from context and community. This is where our sector-specific interventions make the greatest impact. By focusing on increasing access to education, science, and culture, we contribute to a thriving creative commons for all of us.    

In open science, we will continue to support the rapid, open dissemination of scientific outputs. As research moves beyond traditional publications toward preprints, modular outputs, and digital-first formats, open access infrastructure must evolve alongside it. We will accelerate adoption of CC BY for preprints and deepen our work on modular science with the Continuous Science Foundation, exploring how licensing can function as foundational infrastructure that incentivizes reuse and collaboration.

In open culture, we will be building on the launch of the Open Heritage Statement, with plans to host an event in Paris at UNESCO headquarters to encourage support from UNESCO member states to carry forward this work through formal channels.

For almost five years, our work in open culture has been made possible by support from Arcadia, but this funding concludes later this year. We’re actively seeking grants to continue building on the gains we’ve made and realizing the goal of open heritage becoming the norm, and a shared asset we can all benefit from.

We’ll continue deep engagements in sectors where we’ve historically had great impact with adoption of the CC licenses and driving forth the ideals of openness. Building on expertise and relationships, we’ll help think about what the best tools and frameworks are for sharing and access today and how needs might be changing alongside technology. We’re here to help those who create or steward content make the best possible choices, and we acknowledge that needs will differ by sector and region. Our prototyping work for CC signals will be explored within the education, science, and culture sectors as well.

Centering Community

We’re excited to tackle all of the big, open questions (pun intended!) alongside our community. This year we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We’ll be hosting public conversations with experts, advocates, and dissenters (yes!) and developing resources on the basis of these learnings that are available to anyone who wants to further educate themselves across the full spectrum of our work. We’ll be throwing in some celebrations along the way, too.

Our motto for the year: “If nothing else, credit.”

Historically, sharing and access have reinforced one another. The tools we developed to enable sharing expanded access, and vice versa. In the age of AI, that relationship is under strain—but the core principle remains unchanged.

At Creative Commons, it comes back to choice and credit.

If you choose to share knowledge, you should always be attributed. If you access knowledge, you are entitled to know where your information is coming from. 

As Creative Commons enters its 25th year, I’m hopeful we can work together, in community, to advocate for CC’s core values in a changing world. Come find us on Zulip or sign up for our newsletter to hear all about what we’re up to as we celebrate our 25th anniversary.

Posted 08 January 2026