Putting the spotlight on AI Copyright - Artlist Blog
Generative AI in creativity: what are the ethics?  Generative AI in creativity: what are the ethics?  Generative AI in creativity: what are the ethics?  Generative AI in creativity: what are the ethics?  Generative AI in creativity: what are the ethics? 

Highlights

Generative AI is now having a very real impact on video creation, speeding up boring processes, lowering costs, and unlocking creativity.
Questions remain over the relationship between generative AI and intellectual property — can it be done ethically?
Understand some of the key issues surrounding AI copyright, and how you can navigate this new terrain legally.

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The age of generative AI is now upon us, and it’s developing at a speed that’s almost impossible to keep up with. Inevitably, this new technology has presented creatives with a new set of challenges when it comes to video production. In this article, we’ll break down what those challenges are, how we can make AI work for us and, most importantly, think about the ethics of it all.

The rise of AI in video creation

Just a few short years ago, the idea of AI playing a prominent role in video creation seemed quite far-fetched. In 2025, however, the landscape is looking very different. AI video creation has come on leaps and bounds, and is now impacting the industry in a very real way.

What is generative AI doing to the video production space? In short, it’s reshaping production by automating and improving key elements of the creative process. It’s enabling faster content creation, reducing costs, and in doing so, expanding creative possibilities. Here’s an overview of its impact across three major areas.

Text-to-video generation

Generative AI is revolutionizing video production by turning simple text into dynamic, fully realized videos, making the production process faster and more efficient. Using deep learning techniques such as natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision, various generative AI models can now generate explainer videos, promotional content, and storytelling sequences from very simple scripts, often with minimal human intervention. They’re also facilitating rapid prototyping and storyboarding for filmmakers and advertisers.

This technology is particularly valuable for e-commerce brands, who can swiftly produce product demo videos, as well as for content creators who want to generate educational or social media material without a lot of resources. For many, it’s helping to democratize video production and speed up creative workflows. Notable tools for text-to-video include Runway ML, Pika Labs, and DeepBrain AI.

AI-generated images for video assets

AI isn’t just transforming video — it’s changing image creation too. AI-powered text-to-image generators like Midjourney and DALL·E allow creators to design detailed visuals for video projects, producing concept art, backgrounds, and many other assets in a diverse range of styles. These tools have sped up the creation of custom graphics, so creators don’t have to depend on manual drawing or pricey stock footage, and helping creators quickly test and tweak ideas to match a director’s vision.

This technology has proven particularly valuable for hybrid productions, where AI-generated images blend with live-action footage. Sci-fi and fantasy productions can benefit by generating intricate, otherworldly environments, while marketing teams can produce branded visuals tailored to specific campaigns, making video production faster and more creative.

Voiceover and dialogue generation

This is a big one. AI voice tools can now generate realistic voiceovers and dialogue from text, leveraging generative models trained on huge datasets of human speech. These systems provide cost-effective, multilingual voiceovers for global audiences and offer consistent, adaptable performances without the need for studio time. In fact, here at Artlist, we’re proud to have our very own generative AI voiceover tool, which is designed specifically with video creators in mind.

Voiceover generation comes in handy for all kinds of uses, including narration for documentaries, audiobooks, and tutorials, as well as dubbing films and TV shows into multiple languages. It also makes it easy to personalize voice interactions in virtual assistants and video games, offering a seamless, dynamic user experience.

What are the benefits of gen AI for creators?

AI video creation tools offer clear benefits for creators, making production faster, more efficient, and more affordable. Tedious tasks are automated, cutting down on time and costs by reducing the need for extensive hardware, large crews, and expensive post-production work.

More than just a shortcut, generative AI opens new creative possibilities, allowing filmmakers and video creators to experiment, innovate, and push artistic boundaries. It’s not about replacing human creativity — it’s about improving it with powerful, complementary tools.

A perfect example is Artlist Voiceover, which lets you generate lifelike voiceovers quickly and affordably. With access to a wide range of accents and tones, you can fine-tune every detail to get the exact voice that fits your project.

But what about the ethics of AI video creation?

Of course, all of these developments raise ethical concerns. What are the ethics of generative AI? Can you really have an ethical AI art generator? These are all questions currently up for debate.

AI raises serious concerns around deepfakes, copyright infringement, and voice cloning, all of which require careful handling. AI-generated deepfakes have been used to spread misinformation or impersonate public figures, raising serious ethical and legal concerns. 

In the world of copyright, AI models trained on unlicensed images, music, or video clips can generate content that closely mimics existing work. In 2024, a fake diss track featuring AI-generated voices of Drake and Kendrick Lamar went viral, sparking backlash over the unauthorized use of artists’ voices. Cases like this highlight the urgent need for clear ethical and legal guidelines as generative tools become more powerful and accessible. Creators and platforms need to stay informed and act responsibly to avoid crossing legal or ethical lines.

Who really owns AI-generated content?

Another major ethical question is around authorship. If you create something with AI, is it actually yours? And should you tell people it was made with AI?

Right now, this space is a legal and ethical gray area. In most places In many places, content made entirely by AI — with little to no human input — might not be protected by copyright. But if you guide the process, tweak the results, and make creative choices, it’s more likely to be considered your work. That said, being upfront about using AI is a good practice. It builds trust with your audience and keeps your content ethical. As AI becomes more common in creative work, clear authorship and transparency will matter more than ever. 

Navigating copyright issues and licensed content

One of the emerging key issues and ethical debates is the relationship between AI and copyright. Is it possible to use generative AI without infringing on licensed content? Is there such a thing as an ethical AI image generator? 

It’s no secret that a lot of generative AI models have been trained on data from the internet, often without the explicit permission from the original creator. This has led to some costly, high-profile AI copyright infringement court cases, with the ramifications and consequences still yet to be fully understood. his has sparked a wave of high-profile copyright lawsuits. For example, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in 2023 for allegedly using its articles without permission to train AI models. Around the same time, artists and authors filed class-action lawsuits against companies like Meta and Stability AI, claiming their work was used without credit or compensation. These cases are still unfolding, but they further highlight the need for clearer guidelines around copyright and responsible AI training practices.

If your content violates copyright laws, you risk losing monetization on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram — or worse, getting strikes that could lead to account removal.

The best way to stay protected is to use platforms with transparent licensing. Artlist offers a robust, worry-free licensing model, providing high-quality footage, video templates, copyright-free music, and AI-powered tools. With Artlist, you can confidently upload and monetize your content, knowing you’re fully covered.

Artlist works for you

Our priority at Artlist is always you, the creator. We provide fully licensed, royalty-free assets from high-quality songs to stock footage, SFX, and video templates, all ready for you to use today. Beyond offering top-tier content, we also focus on educating and showing why it matters to use fully licensed content in your videos. So, if you’re curious about how to know if a song is copyrighted, or want to understand more about generative AI, we’ve got you covered here on the blog. 

And now, with the launch of Artlist’s AI image & video generator, we’re giving creators even more tools to bring their ideas to life. Whether you want to generate custom visuals from text or animate images into videos, these new tools are designed to help you create original content quickly — all fully covered by Artlist’s worry-free license.

Generative AI ethics is a hot topic right now. While it’s exciting to squeeze the most out of a new, disruptive technology, it’s really important to use it responsibly and ethically.

The relationship between AI and digital creators is an increasingly close one, and ultimately very beneficial. The technology is here to stay, so it’s best to adapt and learn quickly. The technology isn’t here to replace human creativity — it’s here to improve it. By embracing AI as a creative partner, you can push boundaries, experiment, and ultimately produce even better work.

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About the author

Josh Edwards is an accomplished filmmaker, industry writing veteran, storyteller based in Indonesia (by way of the UK), and industry writer in the Blade Ronner Media Writing Collective. He's passionate about travel and documents adventures and stories through his films.
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