AI tools are emerging as an irreplaceable aid to human imagination, capable of generating realistic images, composing music, and even putting together short movies. AI has made phenomenal strides in creative domains with over 80% of respondents of a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey saying that they have incorporated AI into their creative processes. Yet this technological development also poses an array of ethical issues that need to be contemplated and discussed.
With the growth of advanced AI, these problems need to be faced by not only creative professionals alone but also business corporations across different industry sectors. While the efficient and innovative abilities of AI arrive, ensuring proper usage based on ethics becomes of equal importance, particularly issues around ownership, originality, discrimination, and the impact it makes on society.
1. Ownership and copyright concerns
Maybe the most important ethical question regarding AI and creativity is: To whom does the work of AI belong? Conventional regimes of copyright rely on human authors and grant them sole rights over what they create. But how can one identify when an AI program creates a work of art, a piece of music, or a literary work? Ownership is difficult to assign.
For example, if a painter uses an AI program to create a virtual painting or a musician uses AI to write the lyrics of a song, does the copyright belong to the artist, the person who created the AI, or to nobody? Most experts feel that the human who controls the AI (by giving instructions or influencing its creative process) should own it, but this solution is not across the board.
2. Transparency and genuineness
If AI composed a piece of music, painted artwork, or even a news item, then credit needs to be given to the AI-assisted in its production. For example, an online retailer that creates product descriptions via AI needs to warn consumers about it. Deceiving consumers into believing content is all human-created, if it is not can result in loss of trust and damaging a brand.
Transparency in the provenance of AI-generated content will also help in avoiding the menace of deepfakes and fake news. As per a UK-based regulator, Ofcom’s 2024 survey, it was found that 40% of people have seen at least one deepfake in the past six months, but just 10% of the population actually knew that they were sure they would be able to identify a deepfake.
By creating open disclosure policies, organisations can help make the digital space more authentic and trustworthy. For example, Google is striving to enable users to comprehend when and how content was created and altered with innovative solutions such as SynthID.
3. Bias and fairness
AI models are trained on massive datasets, and these datasets usually have biases that exist in society. When AI is applied to creative processes, these biases are reproduced unintentionally, and there are ethical issues regarding fairness and representation.
To resolve this, diversity and inclusivity must be given precedence by AI developers and creative professionals. Continuous auditing of AI-generated content for bias, the utilisation of diverse training datasets, and the integration of diverse voices in the development process are all measures that can contribute to fairness.
4. Data privacy
AI models usually use large datasets to create innovative content. Such datasets, however, may contain personal data, and this creates a major issue of privacy. A January 2024 study by KPMG discovered that 63% of consumers fear that generative AI will compromise the privacy of individuals by revealing personal data to hacks or unauthorised parties.
Ethical use of AI includes being open to how such data affects creative works. Publicis Media conducted a study that identified that when customers were shown AI-created ads with a disclosure statement, 24% of them saw the notice. Such transparency resulted in an increase of 47% in ad appeal, 73% in ad credibility, and 96% in trust for the company.
In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act) of 2023 requires organisations handling personal data to follow rigorous data protection rules. This entails seeking explicit consent from individuals and being transparent about data usage.
Conclusion
AI is a potent ally that can revolutionise creative businesses, providing possibilities for innovation as well as productivity. But it also comes with responsibility. Key ethical concerns that need to be placed at the forefront of discussion on AI for creativity are ownership, transparency, bias, human creativity, the effect on jobs, responsible use, and data privacy protection.
For businesses, including online marketplaces and NBFCs, embracing ethical AI practices is not merely a matter of compliance but also of trust building and long-term success. As AI advances, keeping the human touch will be the most important factor in leveraging its creative power while maintaining ethical standards.
