Thoughts on AI and Creativity: Transparency, Ethics, and the Changing Landscape
Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, and the creative world is no exception. As an author who writes about AI in my fiction, I pay close attention to its real-world developments—not just for research, but to better understand its implications, complications, and ethical dilemmas. I want to take a moment to be clear about my own approach to AI, how I use it, and how I think it fits into the broader conversation around creativity.
How I Use AI in My Work
I do not use AI for writing. My words, stories, and characters are my own. However, I do use AI as a research tool. AI-assisted searches can often provide results in a single query that might take multiple standard searches to uncover. This efficiency allows me to spend more time crafting my work rather than sifting through endless pages of search results.
In my novel Rephlexions: Echoes of Existence, one of the main characters is an AI musician. To accurately depict the process of AI-generated music, I explored the technology firsthand. When I posted my results, I made sure to clearly label what was AI-generated (the music) and what was my own (the lyrics). Transparency is important to me, and whenever my use of AI isn’t immediately obvious, I state it outright.
I have also used AI in the creation of promotional materials and videos in the past. I have not removed that material from my social media accounts, as I believe in transparency, but I will be compiling it into learning videos about the mistakes I have made as I tried to face the social media beast while maintaining my isolation.
A Shift in How I Use AI
I was an early adopter of generative AI and, like many, spent far too much time creating random images just to see what was possible. Over time, I moved away from that approach. Now, when I use AI in my creative process, I do so with intention—seeking ways to incorporate it meaningfully into my research or worldbuilding rather than generating content without purpose.
I am also aware of AI’s environmental impact. Every query, image, or process requires computational power and energy. Because of this, I try to be mindful, using AI in ways that contribute to my work rather than as disposable experiments. While studies have examined AI’s power and water consumption, there are no comparative studies (that I am aware of) that assess the environmental impact of completing a task using AI versus more traditional methods.
AI and the Fear of Change
The creative world is in the middle of a reckoning with AI. Fear and frustration are understandable—new technologies have always disrupted industries, but the difference now is that we have social media amplifying the debate in real time. The concerns over AI replacing human creativity are valid, and the ethical questions surrounding training data remain unresolved in many cases. However, historical shifts in technology have shown us that industries evolve, and adaptation is inevitable.
One aspect often overlooked in the copyright debate is that many of us were complicit in providing training data, even if we didn’t realize it. For years, we uploaded, scanned, and shared our work on platforms without fully reading or understanding the Terms of Service. AI companies certainly need to be held accountable, but this is also a wake-up call about how we engage with technology and digital platforms moving forward.
It’s also important to note that courts are still working through the copyright issues of AI training data. Even the most recent laws are already years behind the technology. For example, in California, a new law targets "Covered Providers," defined as entities that create or produce a Generative AI (GenAI) system with over 1,000,000 monthly users that is publicly accessible in California. While this may seem like a strong regulatory move, it does not address AI generated text, nor does it account for the increasing use of locally-run AI models, which would fall outside the law’s jurisdiction.
That said, there are some benefits to these new regulations. AI companies will now have to create identification methods and detection software. However, better detection methods are needed, but existing ones are unreliable and prone to misuse. It will be interesting to see how far behind detection capabilities remain compared to AI advancements.
AI Witch Hunts and the Problem of False Accusations
As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, there’s been a growing tendency to seek out "witch’s marks"—small details that people believe expose AI-created work. This has led to a problematic culture of false accusations, where artists and writers are being wrongly called out as using AI, often without evidence. Worse, some individuals are violating copyright by submitting other people’s work into AI-detection software without permission. Not only does this violate Terms of Service agreements, but studies have shown these tools to be highly inaccurate. Even trained writers and artists have been found to have only a 50% success rate in distinguishing AI-generated work from human-created work.
The demand for better verification methods is understandable. However, many of the current solutions, such as the Author’s Guild’s "Human Created" certification, are little more than vanity labels. These certifications often rely on self-verification rather than a rigorous auditing process, making them unreliable at best.
The Authors Guild has published an AI Best Practices guide, which I think is a good starting place for discussions around responsible AI use. However, it should be noted that this remains a controversial topic, as many creatives support a zero-AI position. You can read their guidelines here: Authors Guild AI Best Practices.
Where Do We Go from Here?
AI and its generative tools are here to stay. While ethical concerns must be addressed—especially in regard to training data, consent, and fair compensation for artists—we also need to have realistic conversations about AI’s role in creative fields. Rather than react with fear and hostility, we should focus on developing transparent, ethical, and practical guidelines for AI use.
For me, that means using AI responsibly, being open about when and how I use it, and continuing to prioritize the integrity of my work. Laws will continue to evolve, and my stance may shift as new legal precedents emerge. I don’t have all the answers, but I believe honest discussions and thoughtful engagement will help us navigate this evolving landscape in a way that benefits both creators and audiences alike.
What are your thoughts on AI in creative fields? Let’s continue the conversation.
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