WARSZAWA: The Polish Writers’ Association (Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich) is a creative organization uniting authors of poetry, prose, drama, literary criticism, and more.
Table of Contents
Thesis I: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Creative Work
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to devalue human labor and disrupt the principles that define creative work as a unique expression of individual authorship. This authorship is rooted in identifiable individuals, their biographies, experiences, and accountability for the views they present.
Thesis II: AI’s Role in Mimicking Literary Work
Artificial intelligence is already capable of producing imitations of creative works after absorbing samples of an author’s style. This is particularly evident in genres with well-established conventions. There is a growing concern that machine-generated content will flood the literary space, produced at a much faster pace and at a lower cost than human-created works.
Thesis III: Protecting Literary Works in AI Training
The absorption of literary works for training AI algorithms should only occur with the author’s explicit consent and in exchange for appropriate compensation.
Proposals by the Polish Writers’ Association
- Labeling AI-Generated Works: Clearly marking content created with the assistance of AI to ensure transparency.
- Compensation for Authors: Establishing royalties for creators whose works are used in AI training.
- Copyright and Commercial Law: Ensuring that AI-generated works are not subject to copyright but instead regulated by commercial law. If AI outputs were to receive copyright protection, it would necessitate extending the same rights to publishers and other commercial entities involved in book production, given their collaborative role.
Challenges and Concerns
A. Mixed Authorship
How should works partially created by AI and humans be labeled, and what type of remuneration is appropriate for the human contributor?
B. Declining Author Compensation
Current remuneration for literary work is insufficient, with many publications yielding no royalties. This situation could worsen as profits from AI usage flow to corporations, leaving human creators at a disadvantage due to their slower, costlier, and risk-laden production process.
C. Journalism and AI
What will happen if AI-generated content overtakes human journalism? This raises concerns about media freedom, the diversity of public discourse, and the traditional values underpinning free expression.
D. Global Dominance of AI Firms
AI technology is predominantly controlled by companies based in the United States and Asia, where copyright laws differ from those in Europe. The transnational nature of the internet and the European approach to copyright necessitate regulations at the EU level.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to systems that rely on machine computation to perform tasks traditionally requiring human intelligence. AI systems improve their performance through collected and processed data. Key components of AI include neural networks, robotics, intelligent behavior modeling, and computer programs simulating human-like capabilities. Subfields such as machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning further refine AI’s potential.
The Benefits of AI
AI offers significant advantages, including process automation, data analysis, and computational speed. In many cases, AI’s results surpass human capabilities. Basic AI applications range from $40,000 to $100,000, while more advanced systems can exceed $400,000.
Drawbacks of AI
Despite its advantages, AI presents challenges such as high development and operational costs, lack of empathy, privacy concerns, and the potential to disrupt democratic processes. Generative AI models may produce inaccurate or misleading information (so-called „hallucinations”), leading to fraud, misinformation, or user manipulation if deployed maliciously.
The Polish Writers’ Association
Founded in 1989, the Polish Writers’ Association (PWA) emerged from the need to sustain independent literary and cultural life during Poland’s martial law era. It traces its roots to the Polish Literary Trade Union of 1920 and remains dedicated to preserving the dignity and sovereignty of national literature.
The Goals of the Polish Writers’ Association
The Association aims to uphold literature as an essential component of spiritual and cultural life, promote Polish traditions, and protect national heritage. Its activities include advocating for writers’ moral and material interests, defending creative freedoms, and fostering literary cooperation both domestically and internationally.
Additionally, the Association organizes literary events, provides material and legal assistance to writers and their families, and engages in publishing activities aligned with legal standards.
Keywords
- Artificial intelligence in literature
- Polish Writers’ Association stance on AI
- AI and copyright law
- Challenges of AI in creative industries
- Benefits and drawbacks of AI in writing
Central Europe Reports, Culture Reports /NMN, source: Agencja Informacyjna / 27.11.2024
