Gen AI and Creative Work: Rights, Risks, and Rewards
Date: 04 June, 2025
Generative AI tools are increasingly common in creative industries. They help speed up workflows, boost efficiency, and allow creatives to focus more on strategic and innovative tasks. But these tools also raise serious questions about copyright, rights management, and the relationship between AI developers and creative professionals.
A recent panel discussion brought together experts from law, publishing, advertising, and academia to examine these issues. Their conversation sheds light on how AI is reshaping creative work and what it means for artists, agencies, and publishers.
AI’s Role in Creative Industries Today
AI is currently used to streamline many creative tasks. In publishing, for example, it's employed experimentally for research, transcription, and summarisation. However, accuracy remains crucial. The backlash against the Chicago Sun-Times for using AI to generate a fake summer reading list highlights the risks when AI-generated content lacks fact-checking.
In advertising, AI tools can speed up production but can’t replace the human touch that builds emotional connection. The panel emphasized that creativity and genuine human insight remain essential.
Copyright plays a key role here. It doesn’t just protect economic interests but also supports cultural development and safeguards human creators. The legal landscape is complex because many creative works involve multiple contributors, and often the creators themselves aren’t the ultimate rights holders.
Risks Around Copyright and AI-Generated Content
One key question is whether AI-generated outputs qualify for copyright protection. Traditional copyright law requires human authorship and originality. If AI acts only as a tool under human direction, copyright is more likely to apply.
Determining this requires looking at how much control and creative input the human had in the process. For example, detailed planning and active shaping of an AI-generated work by a person strengthen copyright claims.
In advertising, contractual norms also influence how copyright rights and risks are managed, especially regarding warranties and indemnities for AI-created content.
Regulation and the UK Government’s Copyright and AI Consultation
The UK Government’s recent consultation on copyright and AI has been met with criticism from creative sectors. The proposed opt-out approach—where creators could exclude their works from AI training—raised concerns.
If high-value works are excluded, AI tools might end up trained mostly on lower-quality content, which could reduce output quality and introduce bias. Transparency about which works are used for training and clear licensing mechanisms will be vital to avoid this.
Effective licensing also means understanding who should be paid. Many works have multiple contributors such as authors, performers, and other creatives. The creative industries have a history of developing innovative licensing solutions and will likely continue to do so.
Key Takeaways for Creatives
- AI boosts efficiency but doesn’t replace human creativity. Use AI tools to streamline tasks, but keep human insight central to your work.
- Copyright rules around AI are complex. Human input remains key for protection. Be proactive about managing risks, especially in contracts involving AI-generated content.
- Collaboration is crucial. Creative industries and AI developers need to work together on licensing and transparency instead of relying on opt-out models.
For creatives looking to deepen their understanding of AI tools and their implications, exploring targeted AI courses can be valuable. Check out Complete AI Training’s courses for creatives to stay informed and ahead in this evolving landscape.
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