Evil Cannot Create: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Philosophy and the Misuse of AI-Generated Content.

Tóm tắt

This study examines the relationship between J. R. R. Tolkien's philosophical idea that “evil cannot create, only corrupt” and the contemporary phenomenon of AI-generated content abuse. Drawing on textual analysis of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, alongside insights from ethics, media studies, and philosophy of technology, the research highlights that true creativity is inseparable from ethical responsibility, intentionality, and human experience. The findings suggest that, like Tolkien’s depiction of Melkor and Sauron - who cannot originate life but only distort existing creations - generative AI can produce outputs without genuine creative insight. When humans misuse AI to replace or replicate creative work without understanding its intrinsic value, they risk a form of “digital corruption” analogous to Tolkien’s corrupted beings. This raises serious ethical and humanistic concerns across art, literature, and knowledge production. The study concludes that AI should be treated as a tool to augment, not replace, human creativity. Safeguarding the essence of creative work requires cultivating ethical awareness, humanistic education, and policies that protect the integrity of authorship. Tolkien’s insight remains relevant today: meaningful creation is inseparable from virtue, care, and responsibility - qualities that no algorithm can inherently possess.