Date of Award

Spring 5-2026

Language

English

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity

Advisor/Committee Chair

Sarah K Lauser

Committee Member

Kimberly A. Cornell

Abstract

As AI tools become increasingly embedded in creative industries, they introduce both opportunities for efficiency and concerns regarding authorship, intellectual property, job displacement, and professional identity. Guided by three research questions focused on creativity, ethics, and workflow adaptation, this research employs a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews to capture participant experiences and interpretations. This study frames GenAI not as an isolated tool, but as part of a broader system that reshapes creative labor, collaboration, and organizational structure. Inductive coding and thematic analysis reveal five central themes: perceptions of AI in creative workflows, ethical and intellectual property concerns, employment and identity implications, systemic academic pressures, and strategies for regulation and integration. Findings indicate that participants largely view GenAI as a tool for efficiency rather than a replacement for human creativity, yet remain cautious about its impact on artistic depth, skill development, and career pathways. Highlighting a key tension between technological adoption and the preservation of human creative agency, GenAI is reshaping not only production processes but also how creative labor is defined and valued. These insights contribute to ongoing discussions on responsible AI integration in creative industries and underscore the need for clearer ethical frameworks, AI literacy education, and industry-level protections for creative workers.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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