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We demonstrate and discuss how generative artificial intelligence images raise questions of democratization and citizenship in terms of access, skills, validation, truths, and diversity. First, the article establishes a theoretical framework, which includes theory on democratization and aesthetics and lays the foundations for the analytical concepts of \u2018formative\u2019 and \u2018generative\u2019 visual citizenship. Next, we argue for the use of explorative and collaborative methods to investigate contemporary image practice, before analyzing the central part of our investigation, which takes the form of four collaborative workshops conducted in 2023 with external partners in different domains (the art scene, art therapy, education, and the news media). After analyzing insights from these workshops, the article significantly nuances how visual citizenship is at work in different manners depending on the different concrete image practices using generative artificial intelligence. Finally, we conclude that an aesthetic perspective offers valuable insights into foundational aspects of belonging to contemporary visual communities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00146-024-02102-y","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,11]],"date-time":"2024-10-11T07:02:09Z","timestamp":1728630129000},"page":"3495-3507","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Democratization and generative AI image creation: aesthetics, citizenship, and practices"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"40","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4412-9896","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maja","family":"Bak Herrie","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7041-8742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicolas Ren\u00e9","family":"Maleve","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5372-4374","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lotte","family":"Philipsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5819-8126","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asker Bryld","family":"Staun\u00e6s","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"2102_CR1","unstructured":"Adam M (2023) Artificial intelligence, democracy and elections. 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