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Inspirational responsibility, intellectual property, and AI training
Citation Link: https://doi.org/10.15480/882.17114
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2026-05-01
Sprache
English
Author(s)
Bozenhard, Jonas
TORE-DOI
Journal
Volume
39
Article Number
88
Citation
Philosophy & Technology 39: 88 (2026)
Publisher DOI
Scopus ID
Publisher
Springer
Generative AI systems, including large language models and image or video generators, are typically trained on data scraped from the internet. Since the creators of the works used for AI training have often neither consented to nor been compensated for such use, this has led to allegations of “theft”. At the same time, since generative AI models do not store copies of their training data, there is a widespread view that they no not necessarily infringe copyright. Moreover, in human creative practice, drawing inspiration from and learning from the works of others is common, if not unavoidable. The central challenge, then, is to formulate an intellectual property right that allows creators to restrict AI training without limiting human learning and creativity. McIntyre ( 2026 ) proposes new strategies for addressing this challenge, most notably through an argument relying on proprietary rights. Critically engaging with this approach, I argue that it overlooks the power dynamics in the art world and leaves creators in a vulnerable and dependent position. Instead, I outline a different pathway to restricting AI training that centres on what I call “inspirational responsibility”. This concept captures the responsibility creators bear for how they use and engage with the work of others. Since human creators can be held inspirationally responsible, whereas AI models cannot, the notion of inspirational responsibility provides a normatively relevant basis for restricting AI training without imposing parallel constraints on human learning and creativity.
Subjects
AI ethics
Intellectual property
Training data
Creativity
Responsibility
DDC Class
006.3: Artificial Intelligence
170: Ethics (Moral Philosophy)
340: Law
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