Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) as an adaptation machine

tensions between authorship and recombination in audiovisual media

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47456/rf.rf.2234.53307

Keywords:

adaptation; audiovisual; generative artificial intelligence; prompt; translation

Abstract

This article investigates Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) as an audiovisual adaptation system, analyzing its effects on authorship and creation based on text prompts. By transforming a single input into images, sound, and editing, GAI automates adaptive processes and reconfigures the narratives and aesthetics of pre-existing works. Drawing on a dialogue between adaptation studies and critical AI studies, the article examines GAI as a type of “adaptation machine,” problematizing the boundaries between original creation and recombination, with an emphasis on the prompt as a semiotic operator and an act of mediation.

Author Biographies

  • Natacha de Souza, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Postgraduate Program in Arts, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Espírito Santo

    Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) as an adaptation machine: tensions between authorship and recombination in audiovisual media

    This article investigates Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) as an audiovisual adaptation system, analyzing its effects on authorship and creation based on text prompts. By transforming a single input into images, sounds, and editing, GAI automates adaptive processes and reconfigures the narratives and aesthetics of pre-existing works. Drawing on a dialogue between adaptation studies and critical AI studies, the article examines GAI as a kind of “adaptation machine,” problematizing the boundaries between original creation and recombination, with an emphasis on the prompt as a semiotic operator and an act of mediation.
    Keywords: adaptation; audiovisual; generative artificial intelligence; prompt; translation.

    PhD candidate in Arts at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) and professor in the Department of Design at the same university.

  • David Ruiz Torres, University of Malaga

    Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Málaga (Spain) and Professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) in the Master’s Program in Arts (PPGA) (2014–2025). Holds a PhD in Arts from the University of Granada (2013) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship (PNPD/CAPES) in the Graduate Program in Arts/Master’s Program (2014–2019).

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Published

2026-07-30

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 34 (2026)

Section

Seção Temática

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Copyright (c) 2026 Natacha de Souza, David Ruiz Torres

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How to Cite

SOUZA, N. DE; TORRES, D. R. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) as an adaptation machine: tensions between authorship and recombination in audiovisual media. Farol, v. 22, n. 34, p. 126–140, 30 Jul.2026.