City Case Description: Saint-Étienne & Artificial Intelligence

As France’s only UNESCO Creative City of Design, Saint-Étienne is embracing AI to fuel its urban and economic transformation. This City Case Description explores how the city integrates artificial intelligence into cultural and creative industries (CCI) to drive innovation. With a rich industrial heritage and a vision for the future through the “Cité 2025” project, Saint-Étienne is shaping a dynamic design district where AI enhances creativity, entrepreneurship, and urban renewal. This case highlights the city’s commitment to blending technology, design, and sustainability to build a more innovative and interconnected future.

How does it work?

As soon as a policy area and its relation to cultural and creative industries and innovation has been investigated by the ekip research team, we explore what this would mean in a local city context. Together with local stakeholders, we find out what the draft policy recommendation could stimulate in
terms of innovation locally. To understand better the strengths and gaps of the local support system, the local stakeholders simulate an innovation portfolio case and analyse what it would need in terms of resources and support to be realised. One of the outcomes of the policy assessments is a series of case descriptions that tells the story of how different local actors identify relevant projects, ideas, resources and initiatives and start drafting an innovation portfolio. This case description only reflects the views of the workshop participants. It doesn’t aspire to give a comprehensive picture or analysis. Each City Case Description is a unique perspective from a local city context across Europe that we hope will inspire and ignite action.