Knowledge production with generative AI: ethical and authorship issues

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the production of knowledge through the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), based on ethical and authorship reflections that emerge from this new technological scenario. Initially, it presents a brief historical contextualization of knowledge production, both globally and in Brazil, highlighting its transformations up to the consolidation of scientific research in the country. It then addresses the rise of generative AIs in the 21st century and their implications for text creation, emphasizing challenges related to transparency, responsibility, and academic integrity. The research adopts a qualitative, bibliographic approach. A literature review was conducted in the CAPES Journal Portal using specific descriptors related to generative AI, knowledge production, ethics, co-authorship, and standardization, resulting in the selection of nineteen works published between 2019 and 2025. Institutional documents from three Brazilian universities and SciELO Brazil were also analyzed, in addition to APA guidelines regarding the use of AI. It is concluded that generative artificial intelligences inaugurate the era of hybrid authorship and may be understood as co-authors or partners in the writing process. However, this categorization remains an open debate, surrounded by legal complexities.