Original article (in Croatian) was published on 3/11/2025; Author: Anja Vladisavljević
Artificial intelligence is increasingly entering the world of art: from writing and illustrating to literary translation. Many see it as a useful tool, while at the same time recognizing a threat to creative work.
As the use of artificial intelligence tools enters the mainstream, along with enthusiasm for its wide applicability and functionality, there is increasing fear of where it can take us. There is also, of course and understandably, a kind of Luddite fear about the extinction of certain professions, the lowering of the price of labor and the loss of jobs.
In the cultural sector, all of this is on the table, with the added awareness that the nature of art, authorship, and the author/artistic work will be changed or undermined. A host of cultural workers and their guilds – from artists and authors, to translators and actors – are already speaking out about these problems.
“Machines are not, and never will be, translators; they merely generate textual content, impoverishing language and culture in the process. Therefore, we deeply believe that every language and every book deserves a translator,” said literary translator Ela Varošanec Krsnik, at last year’s panel at the European Conference on Literary Translation.
She is a member of the board of directors of the Croatian Literary Translators’ Association (DHKP) and their representative in the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL). She reiterated these views in an interview with us.
“It’s hard for me to say that something was translated by artificial intelligence, because I think that what artificial intelligence does is not translation. That’s the position of CEATL, and actually that’s the position of DHKP as well. We can rather talk about generated versions of the text,” she said at the beginning of the conversation.
The experts we talked to warned us about the possible negative effects of the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in culture and creative industries, both on the creators themselves, and on the “products”, but also on their “consumers”. At the same time, we also received answers in which ways and in which situations AI can be applicable.
Art as something uniquely human?
At the beginning of the year, the Croatian Writers’ Association (DHK) adopted a Declaration on Artificial Intelligence. We asked them to clarify the positions expressed in the Declaration, and Matija Štahan, secretary of the DHK, responded on behalf of the organization. He tells us that the Declaration “speaks to three key sets of problems that artificial intelligence introduces into literature, which concern copyright, the social security of authors, and the very nature of literature.”
According to them, literature “is nothing but language playing with itself; everything that language can be without having an exclusively pragmatic purpose is literature. And just as literature cannot exist without its artificial aspect, that is, language itself, so literature that arises without its natural aspect – the human mind and spirit – is only the semblance of literature or a kind of ‘post-literature’”.
In literary translation, there is a similar starting point that is underlined when talking about the involvement of artificial intelligence in its work, because this process implies human creativity, resourcefulness, knowledge of the context of the work, and recognition of wordplay.
Namely, as translator Varošanec Krsnik explained to us, the choice of words and phrases in literary translation is the result of considering different options “in the depth, cultural and social text”, and this is something that artificial intelligence does not do. It simplifies, and its text depends on the statistical use of words.
She also tells us how AI translators, precisely because of this statistical use of words, can completely misrepresent content. Recently, an external colleague told her about a case where a character in a 400-page book was translated and presented as a man, only to find out in the last 50 pages that he was pregnant.
Our famous writer Želimir Periš, who “became familiar with artificial intelligence by approaching it from a literary perspective” (1, 2), says that the biggest threat to the use of artificial intelligence is that “works written by robots will be presented to us as works not written by robots” and that, given how these tools work (using existing knowledge and information), it cannot bring anything new.
“I’m not interested in what the robot has to say artistically. I already have an aversion to works of art, novels, films, which do not go beyond expectations, in terms of style or idea. I have neither the will nor the time for things that have not enriched my knowledge. AI today is the result of the synthesis of its existing knowledge and art, in the generative sense it cannot produce anything new, i.e. nothing new that could matter.
“Yes, AI can write a new Agatha Christie novel, but I really don’t want to read it. I have a huge sense of revulsion towards AI-generated content and the time I waste reading it. I can’t even spend two seconds reading what a funny thing AI replied to a friend,” Periš explains.
Opinions and feelings about the interaction of imagination and machine are still divided, and increasingly complex. As the BBC wrote in one of its articles from the series “AI vs. Mind ”, the development of “truly artistic tools” challenges the established belief about what makes us human, and art has long been seen as something uniquely human. However, the author also leaves room for reflection on the redefining of creativity in the digital age and the possibilities of integrating AI into art.
There are also opinions (1, 2) according to which, with good, detailed and thoughtful prompts (instructions or commands to the AI tool), a work of art can be created, because, ultimately, the idea comes from the human mind, and the AI listens to it and realizes it. This was later touched upon by Periš.
AI as an aid
With all that said, Periš notes that this does not mean that he personally dislikes artificial intelligence tools: “AI is a great tool for helping with thinking and I use it a lot. We have a very businesslike relationship: Dear AI, I have a problem, suggest a solution. And he says: ‘Of course, Želimir, here are a few reasons you can use to excuse yourself why you haven’t started writing a new novel yet,'” adds our interlocutor.
We ask him if AI can become a tool that helps artists, writers, illustrators, translators – rather than replacing them.
“Yes, yes, yes and yes. AI is a tool that can help artists today, but I can’t speak for the future. AI is developing very quickly and I allow for the possibility that whatever happens tomorrow will change things and my views will remain outdated. That’s a certainty, so I wouldn’t predict what will happen in a month, let alone a year.
Today, AI is an excellent proofreader, a very good translator, a mediocre editor, a very limited illustrator and a bad writer. But these are all very useful skills. If translators used to take months to translate a novel, with AI they will need days. However, AI must not replace any of these roles, that would be a disaster, but it can help them, make their work easier, faster and improve the quality of their work,” he answers.
While there are already cases in the world of “writers” who have published over a hundred books with the help of artificial intelligence tools, Štahan tells us that in Croatia, only a few examples of “playing with artificial intelligence” are publicly known.
“Artificial intelligence can be useful in the work that precedes artistic creation, but it is problematic when it ‘does’ the creative part of the creative work – with the exception of neat experiments that deliberately play with the use of artificial intelligence, but which – like any experimentalism – quickly and easily exhaust themselves,” says Štahan.
Literary translator Varošanec Krsnik says that translators use some AI tools, but that most, including herself, refuse to leave all the work to AI, that is, to enter the entire text into a digital tool.
“I specifically use it, but never in such a way that I put the entire text inside because I’m not interested in that at all. But for example, I ask it to translate a certain word for me, i.e. to offer me 15 Croatian forms for a certain word in Spanish, or collocations, or names of plants, animals, and the like. Very often I don’t get a concrete or satisfactory answer. But it serves as a starting point and a handy tool for me. But I say: a tool, not a translation tool,” he notes.
“Generate me an Agatha Christie-style novel”
Štahan adds that artificial intelligence can also be useful “in those works that are already being created as if they were written by artificial intelligence, that is, in genre forms that are created according to a template that brings nothing new, and represent a kind of diminutive of literature: crime novels, love novels, porn novels”. (in Croatian there are slang words for this literature genres which are coined as diminutive of word explaining the genre – ljubić (love novel), krimić (crime novel), pornić (porn novel or smut novel)
“It could also come in handy in real-life prose,” he adds.
Our other interlocutors do not share this view, that is, they do not make a value distinction between genres.
When talking about the poor quality of machine-translated literary works, Varošanec Krsnik explains that this should not be approached in the way of “who cares about romance novels, crime novels, children’s literature, literature for young people, that’s easy to translate anyway.”
“I find this terribly dangerous, especially if we are talking in the context of literature for young people and children, because this is the literature through which children, on the one hand, learn the language, which is very important, and on the other hand, they are raised. A literary translator never just typesets a text from one language to another. It is also the transmission of images and emotions, therefore a very human activity.
“And when we’re talking about romance novels, crime novels, and similar, in quotes, worthless literature, I think it’s just as dangerous [translating with the help of AI] because that’s what’s read the most. And I’m horrified to think that what’s read the most, what people exercise their brains on, and ultimately learn the language, is just as emasculated,” he tells us.
Periš also rejects the view that AI is okay to use for literature of “lower artistic value”:
“A disaster. I really can’t imagine anyone going to a bookstore or library to get a new AI-generated Agatha Christie-style novel, when they can just say from their couch at home, ‘AI, please generate me an Agatha Christie-style novel.’ Tomorrow we’ll be able to say: ‘AI, generate me a new episode of Dr. House, and let the plot revolve around the mental fatigue and anxiety caused by the excessive use of AI technology.’ In the domain of creative creation with AI, one thing needs to be understood: the work is not what the AI responded to, but the creative work is what you gave the AI. That prompt, that’s art.”
AI threatens the price of labor, and sometimes even creates more work
Štahan tells us how AI can threaten the social security of all actors connected to literary activity: “from those whose rights, although they are not writers in the narrow sense of the word, are also cared for by the Croatian Writers’ Association, such as translators and illustrators – and then more broadly, for example journalists – whom artificial intelligence can push out of the scene with its speed and real or apparent ‘freedom'”.
The translators he mentioned have been living in precarious working conditions for some time now, and this is a common moment in all spheres of translation. Artificial intelligence – due to the speed that is extremely demanded in this business – further deepens this uncertainty. Many translators are already receiving requests for the so-called post-edit , i.e. editing of translations generated by artificial intelligence. “Of course, for a lot less money,” adds Varošanec Krsnik.
She mentioned the example of a colleague from Germany who received an offer from a publishing house to do a post-edit of a literary bestseller for 5 euros per page of text, while the standard in that country at the time was around 18 euros per page. In addition, she was not offered to be listed as a translator, which meant that she would not have the corresponding copyright. She rejected the offer and spoke out publicly about it.
Varošanec Krsnik explains that in the case of post-editing, three texts are actually worked on: the original, the machine-translated text and the final result. Translators, therefore, need to look at the original and someone else’s “translation” and “re-translate” using someone else’s “translation”. The problem with artificial intelligence tools is that they can be “very convincing” and influence their judgment about the choice of words or phrases, confusing them because they feel as if they do not know their own language, and there is also a feeling of fatigue.
In journalism, it can be somewhat similar. If a journalist looks for answers through ChatGPT, he must go through a few more rounds of verification, because that tool, if not well trained, does not distinguish between reliable and unreliable information, and often does not reveal where it got the information from.
404 Media also found a good example of the additional work that AI provides in cultural production, using the example of the work of librarians in American public books. Namely, as the market there is already flooded with e-books created with the help of AI (and not clearly categorized as such), librarians themselves have to find a way to filter such reading.
The work of artists and cultural workers “feeds” AI
Artificial intelligence tools must be trained on vast amounts of data to generate their answers. The main source of this information is open-access websites, which include digital encyclopedias, media reports, forums, and even digital book archives. This means that any form of work that has been digitized, including literary works, could be used for other purposes without any compensation. This undermines current copyright rules.
“Artificial intelligence threatens copyrights because it is based on copying and compiling existing sources, not only when it comes to the information it provides, but also when it ‘produces’ literature. Although literature is often citation-based, when using artificial intelligence to create a literary work, it can easily lead to the unconscious appropriation of the fruits of someone else’s work, but without the author’s, creative awareness of building on and artistically building on it,” says Štahan.
Varošanec Krsnik tells us that literary works are very suitable for training AI tools because they involve a wide range of styles, ways of speaking, and because they are “huge pieces of text” that can be misused by big tech companies. “Based on what’s happening, I think the biggest theft of copyright is happening right now since the Berne Convention, when copyright was even defined as such,” she said.
Artists are also becoming aware of this. In 2023, thousands of writers supported an open letter from the Authors Guild (the largest American professional organization of writers) calling on large companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies.
“Millions of copyrighted books, articles, essays, and poetry provide ‘food’ for AI systems, endless meals for which there has been no bill. You spend billions of dollars developing AI technology. It is only fair that you compensate us for the use of our writings, without which artificial intelligence would be banal and extremely limited,” the letter states .
The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) has also come under criticism because there is a major copyright loophole that potentially puts writers, musicians, and other creatives at great risk.
Thus, the increasing presence of AI in art and culture brings serious challenges: reduction of the value of work, abuse of copyright and unfair use of existing works.
To sum up what our interviewees told us: while artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool in the hands of artists, it cannot simply replace human creativity, intuition, and emotion. Artists who use it continue to invest great effort in refining and adapting its results, which confirms that AI is not a replacement, but an aid.
As Periš wrote at the time: “In my vision of the situation, this is simply the next step in a series of increasingly sophisticated tools that have been created to help people write. We started with charcoal on a rock, then quill and ink, pencil, ballpoint pen, typewriter, computer, and now we have AI.”
In this context, it is crucial to find a balance between technological progress and the protection of cultural workers. And not only a balance, but also to curb the greed of large technological giants.
