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U4 - Artificial Imagination: AI, Ethics, and Creativity

Course Title

Artificial Imagination: AI, Ethics, and Creativity


Course Description

This course examines the ethical and philosophical dilemmas that arise when artificial intelligence (AI) intersects with human creativity. We will explore key questions such as: Who owns creative influence? What does it mean for an algorithm to “learn” from copyrighted or culturally significant works? How do systems that function as “memory machines” shape culture, identity, and history? Drawing on psychoanalytic perspectives (particularly Freudian and Lacanian theory), Derridean philosophy, and critical reflections from artists and activists, students will investigate how AI tools both enable and threaten traditional notions of artistic authorship and cultural memory. By studying specific case studies—such as the Dutch soap opera appropriation of my work as a musician or AI-driven text and image generators—students will confront the social, political, and ethical stakes of emerging technologies in the art world.


Learning Objectives

  1. Understand Ethical Frameworks: Acquire a foundational grasp of major ethical theories (deontological, consequentialist, virtue ethics, care ethics) and apply them to AI-driven creative processes.

  2. Examine AI’s Creative Claims: Investigate how algorithms “learn” from existing art, music, and literature, and debate the extent to which AI can be called “creative.”

  3. Critique Memory Machines: Explore Jacques Derrida’s concepts of différance and “archive fever,” as well as Freudian notions of the unconscious, to analyze AI’s function as a “memory machine.”

  4. Evaluate Cultural and Legal Considerations: Discuss copyright, moral injury, and the politics of history-making, drawing on Eric Foner’s question of “Who Owns History?” and the concern that AI may silence marginalized voices or reinforce oppressive mythologies.

  5. Develop a Personal Ethical Stance: Formulate an individual ethical and philosophical position on how AI should be developed, regulated, or resisted in creative fields.


Course Materials

Core Texts & Articles

  • Blog Posts/Articles (Online)

    1. “The Ethics of AI and Creatives—Whose Rights, Whose Influence, and Where’s the Line?” (AndersObitz.com)

    2. “AI and the Freudian Archive: Silencing, Repetition, and the Politics of Digital Memory”

    3. “AI as a Supplement to Humanity: Art, Care, and the Ethics of Humanness in The Authors of Silence”

    4. “Voices of the Unconscious: Ethics, Representation, and the Interminability of Analysis in The Author Silence”


  • Selected Theoretical Readings

    1. Jacques Derrida, Archive Fever (excerpts)

      • Core: Focus on Derrida’s concept of “archive fever” and its connection to the politics of memory.

      • Secondary: Jonathan Culler, On Deconstruction: Theory and Criticism after Structuralism (selected chapters) for an accessible overview of Derridean thought.

    2. Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (selected passages)

      • Core: Key ideas on repression, the unconscious, and cultural tension.

      • Secondary: Peter Gay (ed.), The Freud Reader (introductions & excerpts) for additional context and an overview of Freud’s broader framework.

    3. Eric Foner, Who Owns History? (excerpts)

    4. Martin Hägglund, This Life (sections on radical atheism and meaning-making)


  • Additional or Survey-Focused Studies

    1. Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression (selected chapters)

      • Investigates racial and gender bias in search engine algorithms, illustrating how AI can perpetuate social inequities.

    2. Cathy O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction (excerpts)

      • Provides a user-friendly critique of how big data and algorithmic systems reinforce existing social hierarchies.

    3. Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (selected chapters)

      • Examines the interplay of race, technology, and justice, offering insights into how AI-based systems shape (and sometimes distort) cultural memory.

    4. Short Introductory Articles on AI Ethics

      • For instance, selections from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (“Ethics of Artificial Intelligence” entry) for a succinct overview.

    Usage in Course

    • Primary Excerpts from Freud, Derrida, Foner, and Hägglund provide direct engagement with the key theories.

    • Secondary/Survey Texts (Culler, Gay, Noble, O’Neil, Benjamin) offer broader context, more digestible explanations, and real-world applications—ideal for undergraduates unfamiliar with dense theoretical work.

    • Short Articles & Interviews allow quick entry points into complex debates on AI’s impact on culture, history, and selfhood.


Weekly Topics

Week 1: Introduction—What Is AI? What Is Creativity?

  • Overview of AI systems in art and music (e.g., generative adversarial networks)

  • Discussion of “authorship” vs. “algorithmic appropriation”

  • Reading: Excerpts from The Ethics of AI and Creatives blog post


Week 2: The Freudian Archive—Memory, Repression, and Influence

  • Freud’s concept of the unconscious and “repetition compulsion”

  • AI as a “memory machine”—storing and remixing cultural data

  • Reading: AI and the Freudian Archive: Silencing, Repetition, and the Politics of Digital Memory


Week 3: Derrida’s “Archive Fever”—Deconstruction Meets AI

  • Deconstruction’s critique of “presence” and stable meaning

  • Archive fever vs. digital archiving—what is lost, what is gained?

  • Reading: Derrida’s Archive Fever (selected excerpts) & “AI as a Supplement to Humanity”


Week 4: Creatives and Copyright—Who Owns Influence?

  • Overview of copyright law and fair use

  • Case study: The Dutch soap opera’s unlicensed use of a musician’s track

  • Reading: Legal briefs on creative “borrowing” vs. direct infringement


Week 5: Foner’s Question—Who Owns History?

  • Historical erasures and myth-building in AI training sets

  • Political unconscious of technology—how biases and silences persist

  • Reading: Foner, Who Owns History? (selected excerpts)


Week 6: AI and Moral Injury—Cultural Myths, Ethical Harms

  • The Enigmatic Other proposal: psychoanalysis, moral injury, and care

  • Algorithmic biases and technological violence—who is harmed, who profits?

  • Reading: Voices of the Unconscious: Ethics, Representation…


Week 7: AI’s Influence on Art—Monster or Muse?

  • Debates over creativity: is AI “inspired” by humans, or does it exploit them?

  • Reading: “Voices of the Unconscious” (sections on textual generation)


Week 8: Cyborgian Care—Psychoanalysis and Emerging Tech

  • Revisiting “Enabling Cyborg Repair” (1995) and the evolution of Digital Humanities

  • Clinical insight into disavowal, fetishization, and illusions of objectivity in tech

  • Reading: “AI as a Supplement to Humanity…”


Week 9: Ethic of Care—Developing a Philosophical Stance

  • Seminar-style discussions on possible policy, legal, or cultural interventions

  • Reflecting on the future of AI in creative industries and the role of moral accountability

  • Reading: Additional scholarly articles on AI regulation and corporate responsibility


Week 10: Presentations & Course Synthesis

  • Student presentations on final projects—artistic creations, critical essays, or policy proposals

  • Class reflection on lessons learned, unresolved tensions, and future research directions


Assignments & Evaluation

  1. Reading Responses (20%)

    • Short reflections (400–500 words) after assigned readings, focusing on critical reactions and questions.

  2. Case Study Analysis (20%)

    • Students pick one real-world instance of AI-generated art or music and write a short essay examining the ethical and creative stakes (e.g., questions of authorship, moral injury, potential exploitation).

  3. Midterm Essay: Archive Fever & AI (20%)

    • A 5–6 page paper applying Derrida’s and Freud’s ideas to a specific example of AI as a “memory machine,” exploring biases, silences, and historical erasures.

  4. Creative/Research Project (30%)

    • Students have two options:

      • Option A: Produce an original piece (short story, digital artwork, music) assisted by an AI tool, coupled with a 3–4 page reflection on how the technology shaped or distorted creative agency.

      • Option B: Develop a research paper (8–10 pages) analyzing a major debate on AI ethics (e.g., “fair use,” moral injury in algorithmic systems, or “Who owns history?”).

  5. Participation (10%)

    • Active engagement in discussions, collaborative projects, and peer review sessions.


Course Policies & Pedagogical Approach

  • Inclusive Classroom: We will foster an environment that welcomes diverse viewpoints and backgrounds, recognizing that creative and ethical exploration thrives on a multiplicity of perspectives.

  • Interdisciplinary Mindset: Students are encouraged to draw insights from psychology, literary studies, computer science, media studies, and beyond.

  • Critical Engagement: Expect to challenge your assumptions, debate core readings, and explore nuances in technology ethics.

  • Reflective Practice: Regular self-assessment exercises will guide us in interrogating our biases and the hidden assumptions in AI-driven creativity.


End of Course Outline

This syllabus introduces undergraduates to the philosophical, ethical, and psychoanalytic dimensions of AI in the arts. By blending Freudian and Derridean perspectives with legal and ethical frameworks, students gain a nuanced lens for evaluating how AI technologies impact the humanity of art, shaping not only who gets to create but also whose voices and histories are preserved or silenced.

 
 
 

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