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Ben Affleck recently went viral for his opinion about artificial intelligence (AI), including his opinion that it can be useful in writing Succession fanfic.
But what does the fanfiction community have to say about AI?
A quick search fanfiction forums on Reddit illustrate this Fanfic enthusiasts are concerned about the issue by AI for years. The site hosts numerous messages from two or three years ago when readers first encountered AI-authored sites Archive of ourselves (AO3), the most popular fanfiction platform. All these early reports are very critical of practice and expression of concerns about the future of the medium.
Lots of fanfic readers and writers also expressed his anger about the revelation that Open AI models such as Elon Musk’s Sudowrites scrapes and mines data from AO3 Unpleasant train its language models.
“So let me get this straight, fanfiction writers should NEVER generate revenue their work (despite other fanworks doing a fine job of it), but this bastard can continue and they steal to gain power, which will undoubtedly be used for profit?” one writer posted on Reddit.
How fanfiction communities are responding to AI
In response to the uproar, AO3 policy set to prevent further scrape data of the site. However, they have also created a statement indicating that they would support AI-created works posted to the platform.
“If fans are using AI to generate fanworks, then our current position is that this is also a type of work that is within our mandate to preserve,” the statement reads. statement.
The reactions to the latest change were largely critical online. “I don’t agree that AI-generated fiction is fanwork. A computer can’t be a fan of anythingand good or bad, putting clues into a generator does not constitute work. human fans need to be protected, not AI,” one X user wrote.
So what is the solution? On Reddit, some have made a proposal banning AI-created fanworks absolutely. But others have noted that this policy could be problematic because it means people would post AI fics anyway and no one would be the wiser. Some have suggested creating a tag for AI-generated works would be a better solution, as users would then be able to opt out of reading that fiction.
This tagging system has since hired on AO3which now includes tags like ‘Created Using Generative AI’, which applies to several thousand works on the site.
This debate has led to a secondary problem also – there is a kind of distrust emerging around the use of AI in fan fiction.
As one
The use of AI in the fanfiction community has indeed done that quite divisiveand the issue makes many deeply angry. Reddit and X are filled with users shaking their first at AI in fanfiction, lamenting how it works makes the craft cheaper and harms both the creative community and the planet.
Others are shocked when they discover more positive recordings on AI on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, especially among Gen Z users. Are very possible that opinions about AI in fanfiction vary depending on the age group, especially considering the number of high school and college students use ChatGPTfor school work.
On TikTok, one user posted her “trick” to turn fanfiction into an audiobook using AI, while another user created a ad encouraging her to do the same. “This is fucked up on so many levels, I don’t even have words for it??” wrote one user in response to X.
Many fanfiction writers have pointed out the double standard between visual arts and writing. “I fight the urge to go to the Instagram comment sections on posts about fanfic and AI and ask anyone arguing about pro AI, “Would you say the same about fan art?” one X user posted.
Having these discussions made some people think seriously about what fanfic isor at least what it is should be. Those against the use of AI in fan fiction argue that writers create fiction out of love for the profession or the love of the characters, instead of creating content because of the content. “There’s no reason to tarnish it with a heartless bot,” one fan wrote.
As for Ben Affleck’s excitement about the possibility of an alternate universe Succession episodes, fanfic writers wants him to know that he doesn’t need AI for that. “Sorry, I was just obsessed with that Affleck bit that makes me understand that men like AI because they haven’t discovered fanfiction yet,” one fan joked.
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