Boulder Leader

Generative artificial intelligence programs have piqued the interest of the online content community lately, with the popularization of AI software, such as Lensa and ChatGPT. The proliferation of AI could mean trouble for artists, who claim that the software used by AI “learns” from their original works of art on the internet to potentially create new works of art, drawing content from their work. This issue, although not necessarily illegal, still raises a lot of questions as to whether it is ethical to use AI to make art, and whether one could take credit for the AI work.

In this episode, Emma chats with Viva Moffat, DU law professor; Kerstin Haring, a computer science professor at DU; and Débora Rocha, RadioEd’s production assistant, about the history of AI, what it is currently being used for, and whether its use is ethical or not. Emma also talks about using AI software to write essays and get help with exams at universities, since the use of AI is growing rapidly among students.

Show Notes:

Viva Moffat is a law professor at the University of Denver. She is also the co-director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program. Moffat began her academic career at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law as an assistant professor after seven years in private practice and one year as a visiting professor. While in law school  at the University of Virginia, Moffat was editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review. After graduation, she clerked for Judge Robert R. Beezer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in Seattle. Following the clerkship, Moffat was an associate at Keker & Van Nest LLP in San Francisco. After moving to Colorado in 2000, Moffat’s practice focused on intellectual property litigation and transactions, sparking her interest in teaching and writing in the field of intellectual property and contracts. 

Kerstin Haring is an assistant Computer Science professor at the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver. She works as the Director of Human Robot Technology Lab and is affiliated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Her research in Human Machine Teaming directly benefits the military and is in line with the Third Offset Strategy of the DoD.

Débora Rocha is a production assistant at RadioEd. She is currently on her last year at the University of Denver, majoring in Film Studies and Production with minors in Theatre and Marketing. The short film she directed, Party Quest, which was a product of her major’s capstones, has gotten international attention and awards.

More Information:

Lawsuit Takes Aim at the Way A.I. Is Built: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/technology/copilot-microsoft-ai-lawsuit.html

Lensa, the AI portrait app, has soared in popularity. But many artists question the ethics of AI art: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/lensa-ai-artist-controversy-ethics-privacy-rcna60242

An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html

AI art app makes waves on social media and conjures a tsunami of controversy: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2022/12/09/ai-art-app-makes-waves-on-social-media-and-conjures-a-tsunami-of-controversy

Explained: The controversy surrounding the AI-generated artwork that won US competition: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/explained-the-controversy-surrounding-the-ai-generated-artwork-that-won-us-competition-11188431.html

Original source can be found here.