Jillian M. Taylor of Blank Rome. Courtesy photo

Artificial Intelligence and the Creative Process

Computers, robots, and machines have played a role in the creative process for generations, producing crude images or outputs that artists use, tweak, or start from to create original works of art. David Bowie famously used a machine called the Verbasizer to generate random words and spark ideas for song lyrics on his 1995 album Outside.

More recently, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has picked up steam, requiring us to rethink the role of AI in the creative process. Machines that once produced crude images have now been replaced with autonomous computer programs that are capable of learning without being continuously re-programmed or updated by humans. Today, anyone can visit an AI program, input a few words or descriptions, and with the push of a button create sophisticated, AI-generated works of art.

Implications for Copyright Law

Creating AI-generated art could have important implications for copyright law. Traditionally, copyright ownership in computer-generated works was not in question because the program was only a tool that supported the creative process, such as using Microsoft Word to write a novel. But with AI programs, the program is no longer only a tool—it now makes many of the decisions involved in the creative process without human intervention to create AI-generated works of art.