Public Perceptions of Generative AI in Creative Industries: A Reddit-Based Text Mining Study

The integration of generative AI into creative industries is reshaping how content is produced, evaluated, and distributed. While recent advancements offer new opportunities for automation and innovation, they also raise questions about authorship, authenticity, and professional identity. This study examines public discourse on generative AI in creative domains through a text-mining analysis of nearly 4000 Reddit posts and comments. Drawing on six relevant subreddits from 2022 to 2025, the research investigates the structure of user engagement, interaction dynamics, and language patterns. It identifies dominant terms and phrases related to AI creativity, explores thematic clusters, and compares discussion styles across key tools such as Midjourney, ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, and DALL·E. Additionally, it provides a sentiment overview based on automated classification and narrative interpretation. The findings show that Reddit users engage with generative AI not only as a set of technical tools but as a source of cultural, ethical, and creative negotiation. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how digital transformation in creative industries is shaped by public perception, platform discourse, and evolving community norms.