Analysis of narratives related to “authorship” of experts confronted with image generation AI

Abstract

While some artists feel threatened by AI that generates works of art such as novels, paintings, and musical compositions, others see great potential in using generative AI as a tool to perpetually present works that embody their unique authorship. This paper aims to provide concrete examples of how generative AI stimulates the creativity of experts and the kinds of narratives it can evoke. The analysis focuses on interviews with a commercial cartoonist and a digital artist, respectively, in which they shared their impressions, differences from their authorship, and potential applications when confronted with the image generation AI trained on their own works and the illustrations it generated. By categorizing the statements from these interviews, two categories emerged: “authorship as qualitative calculations” and “authorship as a manifestation of ties to generative AI.” The study demonstrates that organizing a field in which artists engage with generative AI based on different criteria and calculations fosters a dialogue that relativizes and reexamines authorship from multiple perspectives. Additionally, it reveals that in the collaboration between the artifact and the artist the perception of authorship is transformed, as authorship is creatively expressed and they inspire each other.