From Creation to Sub-creation: Man, Machine, and the Ethics of Writing in the Era of AI

Abstract

In the age of generative artificial intelligence, the concept of intellectual creation is undergoing a profound mutation that challenges scientific integrity within universities. This study proposes to analyze the transition from creation to "sub-creation" by placing AI within a chain of mediations where it acts only as a transformer of pre-existing materials. Drawing on the example of the experimental novel 1 the Road, we demonstrate that the machine, devoid of consciousness and narrative intent, remains dependent on a complex human framework. The article argues that the ethical use of AI in Master's theses relies on the primacy of the student-researcher as the sole author of meaning, the guarantor of scientific validity, and the bearer of a unique voice.