AI – A Threat to Freedom of Expression?

Complex matters call for open discussions and dialogue. This workshop is a coming together of artists’ perspectives on how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) may (or may not) impact authors’, translators’ and illustrators’ freedom of expression in the literary realm.



The increasingly rapid development of artificial intelligence has literary communities around the world racing to keep up. As we are all grappling to understand the technology and its potential uses (and misuses), one worry is whether it may promote censorship or affect artistic rights in other ways.



At this point in time, it is impossible to know how AI language and image generators will impact world literature, but unless we openly address and discuss possible concerns and outcomes, unless we address the ethics of AI, unless we talk about the reasoning and rules governing this technology and how it might (or might not) impact artistic freedom, how will we become any wiser?


Wishing to focus more on ethics than technology, we have invited Norwegian writer and professor of philosophy Lars Fr. H. Svendsen to kick off the discussion by sharing some thoughts on freedom of speech, AI, ethics and writing. He will be followed by Jan Christopher Næss from The Norwegian Association of Literary Translators and Eystein Hanssen from Forfatterforbundet before the floor is open to all.


Moderator
Lene Renneflott, Grafill – Norwegian Organization of Visual Communication will facilitate the session.