(Yet) Another Death of the Author
Roland Barthes’ statement ‘Death of the Author’ has been a source of debate and discussion since its publication in 1967. The statement suggests that the author is no longer the sole creator of a work, but rather that the reader is now an active participant in the creation of meaning. This idea has been further developed in recent years with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for creating works of art, literature, and music. In this article, we will explore how AI can be seen as a contemporary manifestation of Barthes’ ‘Death of the Author’ statement and how it has changed our understanding of authorship.
AI is defined as “the ability of a computer or other machine to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings” (Merriam-Webster). AI has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with applications ranging from facial recognition to autonomous vehicles. AI is also being used to create works of art, literature, and music. For example, AI algorithms have been used to generate poetry and short stories that are indistinguishable from those written by humans. Similarly, AI algorithms have been used to compose music that is indistinguishable from human-composed music.
The use of AI to create works of art and literature challenges our traditional understanding of authorship. In traditional models, authors are seen as sole creators who are responsible for all aspects of their work. However, when AI is used to create works, it becomes difficult to determine who should be credited as the author. This raises questions about who should be given credit for these works and whether or not they should be considered original creations or simply derivative works based on existing data sets.
This challenge to traditional notions of authorship can be seen as a contemporary manifestation of Roland Barthes’ ‘Death of the Author’ statement. Barthes argued that readers are now active participants in creating meaning from texts and that authors no longer have complete control over their work. Similarly, when AI is used to create works, it becomes difficult to determine who should be credited as the author since there may not be one single creator responsible for all aspects of the work. This suggests that readers may now play an even more active role in creating meaning from these works since they must decide which elements were created by humans and which were created by machines.
In addition to challenging traditional notions of authorship, AI also raises ethical questions about how these works should be treated and credited. For example, if an AI algorithm creates a poem or song that is indistinguishable from one written by a human author, should it receive credit for its creation? Similarly, if an AI algorithm creates a work based on existing data sets or pre-existing ideas, should it receive credit for its creativity? These questions remain largely unanswered but will need to be addressed if we are going to fully understand how AI affects our understanding of authorship and creativity.
In conclusion, Roland Barthes’ ‘Death of the Author’ statement can be seen as having been further developed with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for creating works such as poetry and music. The use of AI challenges traditional notions of authorship by making it difficult to determine who should receive credit for these creations and raises ethical questions about how they should be treated and credited. As such, it can be argued that AI serves as a contemporary manifestation of Barthes’ statement by further blurring the lines between authorial intent and reader interpretation when it comes to creative works.
References:
Barthes, Roland, (1967) 1977: The Death of the Author. https://web.archive.org/web/20200419132326/http://www.ubu.com/aspen/aspen5and6/threeEssays.html#barthes [Accessed 7 February 2023].
I am no longer I am