Mapping the generative AI art controversy: stakeholder narratives

This thesis examines the socio-technical controversy around AI-generated art. It uses the cartography of controversies, a method based on Actor-Network Theory (ANT). The research focuses on how various stakeholders form and change their positions. It applies discourse analysis to understand how they define and challenge concepts like “art”, “labour”, “technology”, and “creativity”. The context of the study is related to the massive use of artistic works, without the consent and compensation of their creators, to train generative AI models. This situation opened a public discussion about the boundaries of authorship and the role of automation in creative processes. The empirical base includes media texts and official statements written in English. The result is a controversy map that outlines main issues and relationships between participants in the debate. The analyses show that AI is variously interpreted as a tool that expands creative capabilities or as a threat leading to artists losing their earnings. The thesis demonstrates how public discussions around emerging technologies change over time and how social, legal, economic, and cultural arguments are intertwined in them.