Building the Future: Practical Steps Towards an Equitable Creative World

This is the final piece in our series on AI art. We’ve talked about AI art as an act of civil disobedience, dissected the misinformation surrounding AI, addressed the pitfalls of copyright law, explored the political divide, and imagined a future where AI and creativity coexist equitably. Now, let’s look at the real, tangible steps we can take to start building that future today.

Step 1: Advocate for Fair Compensation Models

The first step towards an equitable world for AI art is making sure that artists are paid fairly, especially when their work is used as part of AI training datasets. We need to push for industry standards like the ones Adobe and Shutterstock have adopted, where artists are compensated when their work contributes to AI training. This means advocating for policies that require companies developing AI tools to share profits with the artists whose work they’re benefiting from. Whether it’s through royalties, profit-sharing, or other compensation models, fair pay needs to be at the center of any discussion about AI art.

Step 2: Support Regulation to Prevent Abuse

We need thoughtful, well-crafted regulation to ensure that AI isn’t used for harmful purposes. This includes not only regulating misinformation campaigns, as we’ve seen attempted (though unsuccessfully) in recent election cycles, but also ensuring that AI is developed and used ethically across the board. Artists and technologists need to be at the table when these regulations are written, so they reflect the needs and values of the creative community, not just corporate interests. AI should be a public good, not a weapon to exploit or deceive.

Step 3: Push for Decentralized Platforms

The platforms artists use to share their work should empower creators, not take advantage of them. By supporting and advocating for decentralized platforms, we can ensure that artists have more control over their work and their earnings. Blockchain technology can help here—not the cryptocurrency side that’s been overhyped and exploited, but the part that allows for transparent and tamper-proof records of ownership and transactions. Supporting platforms that leverage this technology can help ensure artists are compensated every time their work is used, resold, or shared, cutting out middlemen who take large percentages of the profits.

Step 4: Educate to Demystify AI

A lot of the fear and backlash against AI art comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what AI is and how it works. We need to demystify AI, make it accessible, and help people understand that it’s not a magic box that “steals” art but a tool that learns from patterns. Educational initiatives—workshops, online courses, or even community-led discussions—can help artists, audiences, and policymakers alike get a clearer picture of what AI is capable of, and what it isn’t. The more people understand AI, the less likely they are to see it as inherently threatening.

Step 5: Create and Participate in Artist Communities

An equitable AI art world will only happen if artists support each other. We need to build and participate in communities where artists—traditional, digital, and AI-assisted—can come together, share knowledge, and collaborate. By standing together, artists can collectively push back against exploitative practices, advocate for fair policies, and share resources that help everyone thrive. Community isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of any meaningful movement for change.

Step 6: Embrace Hybrid Art Forms

One of the most powerful things we can do is embrace the possibilities that AI offers for new, hybrid forms of art. Instead of seeing traditional art and AI art as being at odds, we should be exploring the ways they can complement each other. Painters who use AI to generate inspiration, digital artists who combine hand-drawn elements with AI outputs, sculptors who use generative design—all of these are examples of how AI can enhance creativity rather than replace it. By embracing hybrid forms, we expand what art can be, and who can be an artist.

Step 7: Push for Universal Basic Security

None of this works if artists are struggling just to survive. The most important step towards an equitable creative world is ensuring that everyone has the basic security they need to live and create. Universal basic income, access to healthcare, and affordable housing are essential if we want people to be able to focus on making art without fear of losing everything. This isn’t just about AI art—it’s about creating a society where everyone has the opportunity to be creative, to contribute, and to thrive.

A Future We Can Start Building Today

The future we’ve imagined throughout this series might seem far off, but every step counts. By advocating for fair compensation, supporting regulation, pushing for decentralized platforms, educating about AI, building strong communities, embracing hybrid forms, and fighting for universal security, we can start to lay the foundation for an equitable world where creativity isn’t constrained by fear, gatekeeping, or exploitation. It’s not just about the tools we use—it’s about how we use them, and how we treat each other as we do.

AI art isn’t the end of creativity. It’s a new chapter, and it’s up to us to decide what kind of story we want to tell.

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