A.I. In Literarure

The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Art and Literature: A.I’s Impact on the Creative Industry of the United States Since 2020
I. Introduction
April 30th, 2023, at 1 pm, fifteen years of labor peace in Hollywood came to an end as strikers crowded the streets outside of Netflix’s office buildings in Los Angeles and New York City (Barnes). This change was felt across the nation.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is the use of computer systems to perform tasks historically performed by humans. It is a relatively recent development in the United States, the issues surrounding which have only arisen in the past four or so years. Many members of the Creative Industry view A.I. as a threat, fearing the replacement of hired artists and writers. This tension is further increased by arguments regarding copyright and the U.S. government’s lack of policy restrictions. This conversation affects not only producers, but also consumers. A great example is the writers’ strike in 2023, a response to Hollywood’s incorporation of Machine Learning, which resulted in the push back of release dates for an array of movie and television projects. Professional Creatives view Artificial Intelligence as a threat, due to a lack of job security, copyright policies, and ethical considerations, but the fear mongering has caused many artists and writers to ignore the potential to enhance art, if A.I. was given the proper restrictions. Artificial Intelligence influences not only writers and artists, but consumers, as made evident by the protests and strikes of 2023 and the pushback of projects that resulted. This widespread impact makes finding a solution necessary.
II. Literature Review
Research thus far suggests that there are a variety of applications for Artificial Intelligence, many of which touch on plagiarism, protests, and ethics. Many people see A.I. as the “4th Industrial Revolution,” a label used to describe recent changes in society, economics, and politics, brought about by new technology, such as Machine Learning (French). How this innovation is to be applied to the Creative Industry is still under debate. In terms of plagiarism, there is a variety of conflict between Artificial Intelligence and copyright law. Some insist that A.I. ought to be granted the title of author whenever used to create works, while others petition for A.I. to be used as a tool and nothing more, and many argue against the use of A.I. to create anything (Saepoff; French; Papakonstantinidis). This brings me to protests, where Machine Learning goes beyond copyright policies, striking fear into the hearts of writers and artists across the U.S. (Scott). Fear of unemployment, or a career rendered altogether pointless, has motivated many Professional Creatives to protest, and even strike.
The dominant conclusion of research thus far realizes that the issues surrounding A.I. are not scientific but ethical. The article, “Art_ificial Intelligence: Dreams, Data, and Neuro-aesthetics in the Age of AI” summarizes this idea in the statement, “the impact of these emerging technologies on an increasingly fragile labor market…raises major questions about the ethical nuances of automated creativity” (Abiodun, 142). Research agrees that the use of Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Industry is not a question of what is possible, but of what should be possible. Unfortunately, these same articles lack a definitive answer as to how to answer this questions. All three arguments as to how A.I. fits in the Creative Industry leaves the other two parties unsatisfied, unless a compromise is reached.
III. Methodology
The research behind this essay is concentrated in qualitative data, because the issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence are too recent for there to be a lot of data around it. Across domains, the argument about where A.I. fits into the Creative Industry resides in ethical discussions, and as such, the research pertaining to it consists of mostly speculation. The following findings cite scholarly articles and journals as well as credible newspapers, such as the New York Times. The issues surrounding A.I. are so recent that new information pops up everyday, so relevant sources are easy to come by, but caution is necessary, as the fear mongering amongst creatives has led to a rise of misinformation. Most of the following sources were obtained through EBSCO or a New York Times online subscription.
IV. Results/findings
Issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence can be solved by a compromise that benefits advocates as well as critics of A.I. Machine Learning is a tool of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and it ought to be taken advantage of, but to do so ethically, copyright revisions must take place.
Rather than competing against artists and writers, A.I. can become a tool for creatives to use. This proposition can become a reality by looking back at the history of the camera. When photography was first introduced to the Creative Industry, it was seen as a threat by other artists, but over time it became a tool—a way to obtain references—and then an art form of its own (French). It’s very likely that A.I. will follow a similar trajectory. Already, Artificial Intelligence has been used to create concept art (Abiodun) and to create outlines or give editing tips to writers.
Copyright policy is key. It has already been established that the issues surrounding A.I. are ethical discussion not scientific action, but for these issues to be solved, more than a conversation is necessary. In the article “AI-IP? COPYRIGHT IN AN AGE OF INTERNET PROPAGANDA WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,” Saepoff underscores this need by saying that “Copyright law is so important that it was incorporated into the United States 1789 Constitution…the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the primary purpose is to motivate the creation of innovation from which the public will benefit due to the author’s ’creative genius’.” A.I. is only successful innovation when used properly, and copyright policies are necessary to enforce proper application. If Artificial Intelligence is given no restrictions, as it has been given thus far, then the fears that prompted Professional Creatives to strike were correctly founded, and A.I. is a threat to their job security.
V. Discussion
A. Interpretation of Findings: The conflict between Professional Creatives who want Artificial Intelligence to be unrestricted and those who want A.I. to be banned altogether is ongoing. Whichever side is correct, the sheer panic that has resulted is itself a problem, and the answer lies within a compromise: copyright policy revisions. If the use of A.I. can be confined to a tool, within the limits of copyright law, then the robot-take-over that has driven Professional Creatives to protest may never occur.
B. Comparison to Existing Research: Research thus far suggests that copyright law needs revision to include A.I., and protests are necessary to discourage the use of Machine Learning in place of paid Professional Creatives.
C. Implications: The Creative Industry is just one of the many facets of society that Artificial Intelligence has impacted, and a conclusion to the arising issues will likely influence how A.I. is approached in other fields. An example is the use of Machine Learning to restore speech to paralyzed people (French, 271). If the Creative Industry concludes that A.I. is a usable tool, the medical field will likely come to the same conclusion.
VI. Counter Argument
America’s Creative Industry is divided between those in support of Artificial Intelligence and those against it. Artists and writers against A.I. view it as a threat, due to a lack of job security, copyright policies, and ethical considerations. Many writers contrast the current A.I. conflicts to those in Sci-Fi novels that have been predicting an A.I. take over for years (Scott). These fears are grounded in some truth, as “Advertising copy, instruction manuals and even news stories have already been outsourced, and more kinds of written content will surely follow” (Scott). The spread of fear has only been increased by events such as the strikes, and the 2023 resignation of Geoffrey Hinton the “Godfather of AI” from his job at Google, when he stated that he thought “That AI technologies like ChatGPT are more a threat to humankind than climate change” (Pramanik, 5). While there is truth in the anxieties of Professional Creatives, a lot of the panic is the result of fear mongering.
The only reason that A.I. is in this position to steal jobs is because it has been used in place of a hired Professional Creative. If the correct policy restrictions are put in place, then A.I. will be confined to a tool, and unable to create original works for profit. This revision is necessary because original works by Artificial Intelligence are not truly original, rather, they are collages of another’s work. This fact is made evident by Abiodun’s claim that “for many, participation in this algorithmic future—where the self, artwork and algorithm are fused—is involuntary.” It is involuntary because their work is used by A.I. without their consent. Machine Learning cuts up existing artworks to create its response to a prompt. This occurrence has led to multiple artists attempting to file lawsuits and to create “tools that render images unusable by AI” (Abiodun, 145). Such methods are yet to work, so Professional Creatives turned to strikes to solve their issues.
These issues are grounded in reality, but the reaction is an overcorrection. If A.I. is banned altogether then society is halting potential advancement. The 4th Industrial Revolution must happen for the sake of innovation, not just in the Creative Industry, but other fields too. For example, if the development of the camera had been stopped because of the fear of artists, we might not have photography today. The answer to Professional Creatives’ fears is not the abolition of Artificial Intelligence, but the revision of copyright law. If action is taken in this direction, then innovation can continue without Professional Creatives losing their jobs or having their work stolen.
VII. Conclusion
In conclusion, Artificial Intelligence is a recent but relevant development, as the issues that have arisen around it affect not only creators, such as artists and writers, but also consumers. While Professional Creatives view Machine Learning as a threat, due to a lack of job security, copyright policies, and ethical considerations, in actuality, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to enhance art, but only if copyright policies are revised. This solution will bridge the gap between those against A.I. and those for it, offering a compromise that confines Machine Learning to a tool for creatives rather than an adversary. Moving forward, scholars can continue to look into potential applications for A.I. while staying within the boundaries of ethics and copyright policy.

Works Cited
Abiodun, S., & Nickel, L. “Art_ificial Intelligence: Dreams, Data, and Neuro-aesthetics in the
Age of AI.” Journal of Comparative Literature & Aesthetic, vol. 47, no. 3, 2024, pp. 141–162, https://doi.org/https://research.ebsco.com/c/knpbi4/viewer/pdf/rwd6oyoxqb.

Barnes, B., Koblin, J. “Hollywood Writers Go on Strike, Halting Production.” New York Times, 1
May 2023.https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/media/hollywood-writers-strike.html

French, A., Shim, J., Risius, M., Larsen, K. R., & Jain, H. “The 4th Industrial Revolution
Powered by the Integration of AI, Blockchain, and 5G.” Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 49, no. 10, September 2021, pp. 226-286.https://research.ebsco.com/c/knpbi4/viewer/pdf/ge5b5iux6v

Papakonstantinidis, S., Kwiatek, P., & Spathopoulou, F. (2024). “Embrace or resist? Drivers of
artificial intelligence writing software adoption in academic and non-academic contexts.” Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 16, no. 2, 2024, pp. 495. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/14250

Pramanik, S., Rai, S. “AI Take-Over in Literature and Culture: Truth, Post-Truth, and
Simulation.” Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, vol. 15, no. 4, 2023, pp. 1-14.https://research.ebsco.com/c/knpbi4/viewer/pdf/txz4okug7r

Saepoff, Sonya. ”AI-IP? COPYRIGHT IN AN AGE OF INTERNET PROPAGANDA WITH
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.” Cybaris, vol. 15, no. 2, 2024, pp. 161-207. https://research.ebsco.com/c/knpbi4/viewer/pdf/zvxdpaxuub

Scott, A.O. “Literature Under the Spell of A.I.” The New York Times. 28 December 2023, pp.
12.https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/books/review/writers-artificial-intelligence-inspiration.html

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