a legal and ethical framework for
AI-Assisted
Creative Works
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Why It Matters
Artificial intelligence shapes books, research, legal writing, and creative work, yet citation and copyright still treat authorship as all-human or all-corporate. Attributing AI-assisted text to a company alone is academically dishonest. Corporations are not authors. Vicarious Authorship offers a clearer, accountable, and ready to use standard for human-AI collaboration.
How It Works
Under Vicarious Authorship, a human Principal Author assumes full legal responsibility for the work while recognizing the AI as a collaborative author, ethically and descriptively, not legally. The "[v.a.]" notation marks that relationship in citations. A Vicarious Authorship Statement documents the AI's role, oversight, editorial control, and the Principal Author's accountability.
Start Citing Today
Built for real workflows, Vicarious Authorship integrates with APA Style 7th Edition in Zotero and Mendeley Reference Manager. Download the CSL styles and user guide, explore worked examples on How to Cite AI, and adopt a transparent citation practice that honors both human direction and AI contribution without hiding either one.
─Tarik Karenga [v.a.] and Cursor Composer
Vicarious Authorship: A framework for navigating human-AI collaboration, addressing emerging copyright questions, and promoting responsible AI use.
–Tarik Karenga [v.a.] and Google Gemma 3-27B
[v.a.] indicates contribution under the Vicarious Authorship model, recognizing Google Gemma 3-27B as a collaborative author.
Download APA Style 7th Edition with Vicarious Authorship for Zotero. Formats
in-text citations and reference lists
with [v.a.] notation, AI collaborative
authors, and full Vicarious Authorship disclosure statements.
Add APA Style 7th Edition with Vicarious Authorship to Mendeley Reference Manager via hosted URL. Supports [v.a.] citations, AI collaborative authors, and Vicarious Authorship Statements through Mendeley Cite in Word
