AI, Copyright & Creativity — Part 4 of 4
Artists have always had to consider how their work is copied, shared and used. Artificial intelligence introduces another layer of questions, but there are useful steps artists can take today.
Five practical habits
1. Keep evidence of your process. Save original files, sketches, photographs and dated versions. In Belgium, copyright generally exists automatically, but these records can help demonstrate authorship and the date of creation.
2. Review where you publish. Read the terms of websites and online services that host your work, especially clauses about reuse, licensing and AI training.
3. Explore rights reservations. EU law allows rights holders to reserve certain uses under the general text-and-data-mining exception. For online material, appropriate machine-readable measures can be relevant. A copyright notice alone does not necessarily make an effective opt-out.
4. Be transparent about your tools. If you use generative AI as part of your practice, consider explaining its role so viewers and collectors can understand your creative decisions.
5. Follow reliable updates. Copyright and AI regulation are developing. Official sources and artists’ professional organisations can help you keep track of changes.
None of these steps guarantees that an artwork will never be reused without permission. They do, however, give artists a more informed starting point.
A continuing conversation
Some artists will embrace AI; others will avoid it. Many will choose a path between those positions.
A healthy creative future leaves space for innovation while respecting the people who make the art.
This concludes Dizaura Artists Network’s four-part series, AI, Copyright & Creativity.
Further reading: Belgian FPS Economy — Copyright FAQ · EU Copyright Directive, Article 4