Preamble
Human Creator Alliance Vision
Creativity is first and foremost a human pursuit. Creativity is the synthesis of human experience, original thought, philosophical worldview, and indeed the very human soul, output into a unique new expression. Artificial Intelligence tools have reached a point where they can simulate this synthesis, but it is as defined by its name: artificial. Human creation has inherent and intrinsic value, contrarily a machine's experience is disconnected from any model of reality, has no capability for original thought or philosophical inquiry, and most certainly lacks the spark or essence we commonly refer to as the human soul. Artificial Intelligence tools will forevermore be a part of the creative landscape but should be used under the deft control of a human with something to say. The Human Creator Alliance (HCA) believes it is possible to deploy these tools in an ethical way that values human creation; the HCA is not against Artificial Intelligence tools but does call for trust, transparency, and accountability in their usage. The HCA also believes that our culture and society should, and ultimately always will, place a premium value on purely original human-created works over those created with generative Artificial Intelligence.
Beliefs
The Human Creator Alliance believes in the unique value of human ingenuity, thought, reason, and creation.
The Human Creator Alliance believes creators have a right to determine if their work is used to train Artificial Intelligence tools.
The Human Creator Alliance believes AI tools have a place in the creative process if used in a transparent, ethical way.
The Human Creator Alliance believes Human Creators should be transparent and honest about the role generative AI tools have played in the creation of a piece.
The Human Creator Alliance believes the intellectual property of Human Creators deserves the highest respect.
The Human Creator Alliance believes there is a threshold of generative AI use that once crossed, the human creator can no longer and should no longer claim ownership of the piece.
Mission
The Human Creator Alliance’s social mission is to preserve and value human creativity, thought, ingenuity, and the arts, to help foster and encourage both the cultural landscape and economic marketplace to more fully value human-created works, and to help mitigate the potentially disruptive and devaluing effects that AI-created content is having and may have in the future on human societies and economies.
Building Trust and Credibility
The success of the Human Creator Alliance is dependent on the trust and confidence we earn from our creative colleagues, peers, clients, and the audiences of our creative work. We gain credibility by adhering to our commitment to ethical creative development, displaying honesty, transparency, and integrity through honorable creative expression. Defining the line between AI-created and human-created work is fraught, but we endeavor to keep finding where that line is and not crossing it. The proof is in our effort.
When publishing any human-created work, it is wise to ask: Will this build trust and credibility for the Human Creator Alliance? Does this work abide by the transparent and ethical standards of the Human Creator Alliance’s code of ethics? Is this work substantially and primarily created by a human creator? The only way we will maximize trust and credibility for the Human Creator Alliance is by answering “yes” to those questions and by endeavoring every day to build and maintain our trust and credibility.
Purpose of the Code of Ethics
Ethical creation is the essential aim of the Human Creator Alliance. Human Creators have an obligation to clarify their position on the use of generative Artificial Intelligence in their work, and should only take credit for work in which the definitive human touch is applied and felt. The line between human and machine in creative work is blurry. Defining that line is an ongoing pursuit. The HCA Code of Ethics provides a yardstick for all creators to continue that pursuit. The Code is relevant to all creators, from the young art student to the retired creative; from the hobbyist to the professional.
HCA Code of Ethics serves six purposes:
The Code identifies core values on which human-created work is based.
The Code summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the Human Creators’ core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards that should be used to guide human-created work.
The Code is designed to help Human Creators identify relevant considerations when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise.
The Code provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold the Human Creator profession accountable.
The Code socializes practitioners new to the field to the Human Creator Alliance’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards, and encourages all Human Creators to engage in ongoing education and philosophical and ethical consideration to ensure their commitment to those same core features of the HCA.
The Code articulates standards that the HCA itself can use to assess whether Human Creators have engaged in unethical use of generative Artificial Intelligence in their work. The HCA has formal procedures to adjudicate ethics complaints filed against its members. In subscribing to this Code, Human Creators are required to cooperate in its implementation, participate in HCA adjudication proceedings, and abide by any HCA disciplinary rulings or sanctions based on it.
The code offers a guide of values, principles, and standards. It is not a rulebook for all situations a Human Creator may encounter.
Ethical Principles
Value: Human Ingenuity and Creation
Ethical Principle: The Human Creator Alliance’s primary goal is to highlight and honor the inherent value in human ingenuity and creation.
Value: Ownership of One’s Work and Its Future Use
Ethical Principle: The Human Creator Alliance recognizes and defends Human Creators’ right to defend and protect their individual work.
Value: Transparency and Honesty
Ethical Principle: Human Creators are radically honest and transparent about the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in their work.
Value: Self-Reliance
Ethical Principle: Human Creators trust in their unique abilities and voices, and ensure their final work output is always reflective of their unique human skills and touch.
Value: Respect for Law
Ethical Principle: Human Creators adhere to legal statutes governing the use of generative AI. It is our responsibility to keep informed on the letter and spirit of the law, both in our immediate legal environment and the AI landscape at large.
Ethical Responsibilities
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to their audience.
Audiences expect the works of Human Creators to be human creations. Fulfilling and respecting these expectations requires that Human Creators disclose how AI has been incorporated into the creative process. Further, creators have a responsibility to renounce claims of ownership to work that was created using AI to a degree that overwhelms the originality and ingenuity inherent in human-created work. These responsibilities live for all audiences of creative work and form the foundation of Human Creators’ application of the Code of Ethics.
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to clients.
Clients contract Human Creators for original output borne of their unique experience and insights. Additionally, clients are particularly sensitive to intellectual property concerns. Human Creators have a responsibility to submit work that is representative of their unique skill and ingenuity and is free of intellectual property conflicts, originating from AI or otherwise.
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to fellow Human Creators.
Human Creators promise to uphold the values and mission of the Human Creator Alliance, and the alliance of these Human Creators is formed by the responsibilities owed between members. Human Creators have a responsibility to represent themselves and their work in ways consistent with the Code of Ethics and to hold their fellow Human Creators accountable to the Code.
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to themselves.
Human Creators have a responsibility to interrogate the threshold for when ownership of creative work can no longer be claimed. Human Creators must be honest with themselves about the way Artificial Intelligence tools have been incorporated into the creative process and if their output meets the standards set by the Code of Ethics.
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to the creative profession.
In addition to long-standing principles of integrity, Human Creators owe their peers in and outside of the Alliance a true and honest depiction of the ways Artificial Intelligence is, can, and should be used in the creative process. By upholding the Code of Ethics, Human Creators set a standard that helps protect and nurture the intrinsic value of human works.
Human Creators’ ethical responsibilities to the broader society.
Human Creators recognize the risks Artificial Intelligence-generated work poses to societal perceptions of value and truth. By upholding the Code of Ethics, Human Creators fulfill a responsibility to set a standard that helps protect and nurture the intrinsic value of human-created works while mitigating the disruptive effects of AI.