We discuss generative AI in relation to core understandings and theoretical frames within academic fan studies, arguing that capitalist systems that seek to automate the creative process are incompatible with current understandings of fan cultures. We consider core questions that the field will need to reevaluate as this technology develops further, ending by describing a framework that we call (un)creation and what we view as the ideal path forward for fan-industry research.
Cisternino et al. (2025) studied this question.