Generative AI and the Attribution of Credit in Artistic Creation

Generative AI systems that produce images from user prompts raise controversial questions about authorship, creativity, originality and copyright. Who is the creator of AI-generated images, and who should get credit for them? This talk presents a novel framework for understanding AI-generated content as inherently collaborative, demonstrating that creatorship comes in degrees and depends on the nature and significance of the contributions made by users, developers, training data contributors, and the AI systems themselves. By reframing these debates through the lens of distributed creativity, we can develop more nuanced and equitable approaches to crediting creative work in an increasingly AI-mediated artistic landscape.