LibGuides: Copyright Tutorial for FCAD Students: Creative Works & Artificial Intelligence

Creative Works & Artificial Intelligence

This section covers concepts and considerations when using generative AI tools to create works.

Art & Artificial Intelligence

Learn more

AI and the future of work: 5 experts on what ChatGPT, DALL-E and other AI tools mean for artists and knowledge workers (The Conversation)
An Art Professor Says A.I. Is the Future. It’s the Students Who Need Convincing (The New York Times)

Ethics & AI-generated Art

Learn more

AI Art: How artists are using and confronting machine learning (MOMA)
AI Image Generators Routinely Display Gender and Cultural Bias (Gizmodo)
AI Biases: Are We Ready to Be Stereotyped by Robots? (Tidio)
An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy (The New York Times)

Copyright & AI

The nature of AI-generated content, and the increasing popularity of generative AI tools have led to important copyright questions including: defining authorship of AI-generated materials, the rights of creators whose works have been used to train AI models, and copyright ownership of generative AI works.

The following are a selection of resources which may help provide insight on copyright conversations relating to the developing topic of generative AI:

Artists Are Suing Artificial Intelligence Companies and the Lawsuit Could Upend Legal Precedents Around Art (Art in America)
The End of Creativity?! – AI-Generated Content under the Canadian Copyright Act (McGill Business Law Platform)
‘It’s the opposite of art’: Why illustrators are furious about AI (The Guardian)
The scary truth about AI copyright is nobody knows what will happen next (The Verge)
State of the Arts: How Should Canadian Copyright Law Treat Works Generated by Artificial Intelligence? (Canadian Bar Association)

AI & Your Coursework

Here are some things to consider if you’re thinking about using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL-E in the process of preparing or creating a work for your course:

Can I use generative AI in my assignment?

Always check with your instructor first! Before starting your assignment, confirm with your instructor that you are permitted to use generative AI tools. Unauthorized use of AI tools may be considered as an academic integrity offence.

Do I need to cite or credit content generated by artificial intelligence?

Remember to include a citation whenever you incorporate content generated by AI in your assignment. For example, if you incorporated an image generated by an AI tool, include a citation to the tool in your assignment. Neglecting to cite this material may constitute an academic integrity offence.

What if I use AI to come up with ideas or an outline for my assignment?

As part of using artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically, it is important to be transparent and acknowledge how you have used AI in your work. If you used AI to generate ideas for your assignment, include a statement in your work indicating which AI tools you used and how you used them. Neglecting to include this statement may constitute an academic integrity offence.

Are there risks to using AI content as a source?

Be aware that there is a possibility that the content AI generates is biased, outdated, or false. Always evaluate the information generated by AI tools. Students are responsible for the accuracy, factuality, and truthfulness of artificial intelligence content they use in their work.

Citing AI Tools in Your Coursework

Here are a few examples on how you could cite AI images in your projects and assignments. Always use your instructor’s preferred citation format. For more information on citing AI generated text, see the APA or MLA citation guide.