It feels eerily apt that a new season of Black Mirror dropped on Netflix last week, as the latest online trend using artificial intelligence has artists around the world feeling uneasy about their futures.
Launched on 25th March, Open AI’s new image-generator function has the internet awash with customised knockoffs of famous artworks. Within days, Chat GPT users were enticed to create their own AI-generated avatars in the style of legendary anime artists, Studio Ghilbli, drawing criticism from some Ghiblites who reshared a fitting quote from the studio’s co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki: “AI is an insult to life itself.”
Miyazaki is by no means wrong – aside from the obvious risks and uncertainties about privacy and data protection, and its significant environmental impact due to increased electricity demand and water consumption, the rise of AI generated media has raised major concerns over the repercussions this will have on the creative industry. From the unauthorised use of writing, photography and artworks to build and teach AI programmes, to anxiety over future employment opportunities, we are in a precarious time in art history, and the industry’s next steps are critical. Worryingly, we’re already seeing an increasing number of brands (who largely hold the keys to high-budget productions and commissions) prioritise efficiency over originality – whether that’s for their global campaigns or social-only posts.
This month, a new trend using the AI image generator has emerged – while scrolling through social media this week, you’ll likely have been met with countless miniatures of your family and friends. Taking inspiration from classic dolls like Barbie, Bratz and Action Man, the AI images generate a miniature figure from an uploaded selfie, complete with a display box and ample accessories. Companies have been quick to jump on the bandwagon and share their own AI characters, from beauty brands to football teams to Royal Mail.
The trend caught toy maker Matt Jensen by surprise, who has been making hand-crafted miniatures of their favourite fictional characters and pop stars since their teens. “Growing up, I always wanted a figure or doll of my favourite music artists and celebrities. Since then, I’ve started making my own toys out of polymer clay, acrylic paint, and old toys,” they explain. “A few years later, I found a whole community of people who make custom action figures, and ever since then, I’ve realized it’s what I want to do for a living.”
Using second-hand materials, Jensen meticulously moulds, sands and hand-paints each miniature figure, taking care to reproduce exact hair styles and outfits, before enclosing it in custom-made packaging. “I can’t even begin to explain how much of myself I put into each figure I make, and seeing these AI creations pop up online has been really upsetting,” they share. “These AI creations are taking away opportunities from real artists who put so much time, effort, care, and love into their work. My biggest concern is whether it will take away roles and opportunities for future creatives – many creatives early in their careers were able to gain success and notoriety because big companies gave them the chance to show their work and get their name out there.”
Elsewhere on the internet, illustrators and content creators have been inspired to fight back against their AI-filled feeds, sharing original self-portrait artworks using their unique creative skills, and adding carabiners, trinkets, favourite beauty products, must-read books, and preferred beverages to showcase and celebrate their style and identities. Most of these artworks took the illustrators a few hours to complete, and the results are clear – unlike the AI generated models, these artworks honour each artists’ unique personality, and represent exactly what computer programmes cannot artificially generate: originality.
Below, we hear from the artists behind some of our favourite anti-AI action figure illustrations to celebrate their creations, hear their concerns about AI image generators and understand the impact this is having on their work and lives.
Ashton Attzs
How long did your illustration take you?
I’d say between 3-4 hours. I can’t tell you exactly, because I made a chilli con carne in between drawing and lost track of the time!
Why was it important for you to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I felt quite moved actually seeing all these artists, from all over the world, come together in solidarity and hand-draw themselves as dolls. I felt inspired and had this strong urge to get involved too as a stand against all the AI-generated dolls being posted left, right and centre. It’s important to support other (real-life human) artists especially during these times, and participating in this fun but significant online artist movement felt really empowering. I feel as an artist who has a pretty signature style, it felt important to hand-draw my own doll alongside all these other artists who have their own unique, distinctive styles. That’s it really isn’t it, art is very personal and you just don’t get that with Ai.
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
Oh I’m worried for sure. It feels like everyone under the sun is using Chat GPT or whatever to make Ai-generated “art”. I believe it will and already is, affecting the way in which brands and companies will look to commission art from us (real-life humans). Work aside and purely from an art-for art’s sake point of view: I think the over-saturation of Ai used for creativity is actually really depressing. It devalues real art massively because it gives people the idea that you can write a “prompt” and suddenly art is generated just like that. We live in a fast-paced society but real art isn’t fast, it’s not instant. Art takes time, involves genuine expression and emotion – it’s the essence of being human.
Amy Stockwell
How long did your illustration take you?
It took maybe around an hour – it maybe would’ve been shorter, but I like taking my time journaling!
Why was it important for you to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I think it was important because I felt like it was reducing the need for physical art and was becoming a lazy marketing tactic especially from a lot of brands (and a lot of these brands had the budget to pay real artists to create that for them).
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
My concerns about the future of AI for creatives is that it’s slowly minimising real creativity and ideas, or anything unique. It’s not only incredibly harmful for the environment but it’s taking away jobs from artists, writers, copywriters, editors etc in creative fields. I worry that it will breed a generation that solely relies on it for any creativity and therefore going against what it means to be creative; which is to express yourself.
Emmie McGee, Cockney Cowgirl
How long did your illustration take you?
The illustration took about 4 hours to complete from initial sketch to end. I tend to think I’ve finished something and go back to it a number of times and perfect it to my liking!
Why was it important for you to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
It was so important to me to show people that you can have the exact same novelty from a human drawing the trend but with a much wider variety of styles. I think it’s important to push back on AI trends as an artist and continually show AI isn’t doing anything more imaginative and visually entertaining than a human artist. Every AI generated doll made looked the same and like all AI “art” looked very uncanny valley whereas all of the dolls made by real human artists all had a different art style, incorporating different digital and analogue techniques
What are your concerns/fears of the future of AI for artists?
I’m concerned that eventually there will be no market for any creators at all to be able to make a living, but also that as a society we will lose interest in the human touch. As it stands, opportunities in creative industries are few and far between for working class people. In my lifetime I’ve seen more and more art-based careers being sold off to those who can afford to put themselves through school and have good connections. If businesses continue to use AI instead of hiring artists – especially working class artists, the opportunity for us to make careers from our talents will cease to exist.
One beautiful thing about humanity is the endless boundaries of creativity – no single computer will ever be able to access the same skill or imagination that a real artist can. It goes without saying that the catastrophic impact AI has on the climate and planet concerns me greatly, because if we continue in the way we are with certain technologies, there will be no art at all on a dead planet.
As it stands, opportunities in creative industries are few and far between for working class people. In my lifetime I’ve seen more and more art-based careers being sold off to those who can afford to put themselves through school and have good connections. If businesses continue to use AI instead of hiring artists – especially working class artists, the opportunity for us to make careers from our talents will cease to exist.
Natasha Ahmed
How long did your illustration take you?
It took me about 3-4 hours to illustrate.
Why was it important to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
It was important to join this trend because like so many people, I think AI is so incredibly unnecessary especially when it comes to being creative – there’s nothing appealing about a cookie cutter AI doll template, and I also don’t think AI art will ever be as good as art made by humans!
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
I don’t think AI can ever fully replace the journey of creating something from scratch and using your own initiative to make something to your own catered style.
Sunny Wu
How long did your illustration take you?
The illustration took me about 4-5 hours. At that time, I’ve only seen one artist do the trend, and I thought, that’s the coolest thing ever! I need to do it as well.
Why was it important to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I’ve seen a handful of influencers and brands use AI-generated start up dolls, and it made me feel disappointed. But I also don’t think most of them are purposefully trying to be harmful, they’re probably not creatives/artists themselves, and just neglected to think about the consequences of using AI generated art. So I think it’s important for creatives and artists to step up and participate in these trends to push back and spread awareness.
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
I don’t believe that AI can ever replace art, because art comes from humanity. However, I am worried that the general public would refuse to see the difference between AI and real art, because it’s much more costly financially, to hire real artists to create.
Hollie Fuller
How long did your illustration take you?
2 hours.
Why was it important to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I totally see the appeal of these AI micro trends – they’re fun and cute and there’s something about it that feels quite nostalgic – but it’s important to talk about the implications of using AI because I think the truth is that most people don’t realise just how bad it is, not only for the creative industries but for the environment too. This trend has opened up a lot of conversations, and I think that’s the best use of our creativity and our social platforms – to give people the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
AI programmes are machine learning programmes – everything they know is based on human knowledge and human creation, which means they’re actively stealing from artists, designers, writers and musicians. They’re stealing our work, but they’re more efficient than we are. We have already seen creative agencies opting to use AI for big projects over a team of human creatives. Worst case scenario: creatives won’t need to exist, creative jobs won’t exist.
AI programmes are machine learning programmes – everything they know is based on human knowledge and human creation, which means they’re actively stealing from artists, designers, writers and musicians. They’re stealing our work, but they’re more efficient than we are. We have already seen creative agencies opting to use AI for big projects over a team of human creatives. Worst case scenario: creatives won’t need to exist, creative jobs won’t exist.
Dina Mistry, The Playful Indian
How long did your illustration take you?
It took me a few hours, probably about 3, to digitally illustrate myself in the action figure trend. The accessories i have included with this illustration are my Surface Pro tablet which i use to illustrate and a bunch of greeting cards because that’s my main thing along with samosas (if anyone knows me, they know how much i love samosas) and also an IKEA name badge because that’s my part-time job.
Why was it important for you to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I saw a few, both the AI generated figures and hand drawn ones, and I much preferred the hand drawn ones. They had so much more character, showed off the artists skills and were all so fun and unique. It’s been a while since I’ve jumped on a drawing trend and this was one that I had to join.
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
My concern with AI art is that it is going to be so easy to copy another artist’s style; an example would be the Studio Ghibli trend. As artists, we work hard to develop our art style and for this to be generated via AI is kind of scary. We already have to deal with the likes of Shein and Temu stealing our designs, we don’t want to have to deal with this too.
Ess Dennis
How long did your illustration take you?
Around 3-4 hours.
Why was it important for you to join in with the artists pushing back against this AI-generated social trend?
I feel like people don’t actually realise how damaging generative AI is and I wanted to share my art alongside some of the pretty damning information about it. When things are easy and fun, I think we can become numb to the idea that maybe they have a cost – not unlike fast fashion. I also think it’s important that we remind everyone that generative AI art can only exist because of artists.
What are your concerns or fears about the future of AI for artists?
One of my major fears is what this dismissal of artists means for how we treat people’s time, energy, craft etc. AI is being trained on our work – stealing our work – and I’m worried about how entirely acceptable that is becoming. However, I think my biggest concern is the massive impact of generative AI on communities and the environment. We have an obligation to each other and our world, and we need to consider all the implications of the technology we use.
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