Beginning from the traditional definition of the author, this chapter surveys key theories and debates around artistic authorship and how they relate to AI art. To begin, this chapter presents the conventional definition of authorship as human expression and explores the historical roots of this concept in Romanticism. The chapter then discusses how the Romantic author has been preserved, challenged and complicated throughout the twentieth century in academic theory, criticism and artistic practice. To better account for the role of technology in artistic production, the chapter seeks out a new understanding of authorship that is rooted in Marxist literary theory and later media philosophy. This technically-oriented perspective on authorship does not overemphasise the role of human artists as the origin of meaning and thus is less concerned with questions of human identity and intention. Instead, it emphasises the technical conditions of cultural production, the human-technology relationship, and the broader societal impact. This approach primarily builds upon the media philosophy of Vilém Flusser and so this chapter also introduces his work and significance to the field. Ultimately, this chapter lays the theoretical groundwork for the discussions and critical analyses presented in subsequent chapters.