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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Alex Plante, a Winnipeg-based digital illustrator, now makes most of her money in markets, rather than online sales or commissions.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Plante, a digital artist, is booking more markets this holiday season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m making most of my money in markets now,\u201d she said. \u201cHardly anything online, and not a whole lot from commissions either.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a shift from past years, when revenue was more evenly distributed. Smaller contracts \u2014 such as website illustrations and business card designs \u2014 still seem to be plentiful. Larger jobs like advertising work are scarcer, from Plante\u2019s view.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an indirect result of AI, I did have to kind of restructure my whole business,\u201d she said, adding she believes higher shipping costs have lessened online demand.<\/p>\n
The new \u201cNo AI\u201d sign follows repeated questions from market-goers. Many customers are seeking art untouched by AI, Plante said: \u201cThe joy of art is both in the process and the choices the artist made.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe joy of art is both in the process and the choices the artist made.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sentiment shared by Avery Helm, a graphic designer in Winnipeg. Helm\u2019s website now includes a disclaimer the business is an AI-free zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are paying me for my skills and my knowledge,\u201d Helm said. \u201cI\u2019d much rather make connections with other people \u2014 sharing artwork, sharing things that I\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Environmental impact, misinformation spread and chatbots built on \u201cstolen material\u201d are reasons Helm says she\u2019s wary of AI. (She and some other designers hadn\u2019t noticed a drop in commission work.)<\/p>\n
Beiko, a young adult fantasy author, learned her novels were used in a pirated-books database through a data search<\/a> embedded on The Atlantic\u2019s website. Her words were likely used to train Meta\u2019s AI tool without her consent.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have an endless litigation budget,\u201d Beiko said. \u201cMy way of dealing with it is just raising awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Author and artist Samantha Mary Beiko says her work has been fed into Meta\u2019s system to be used for generative AI.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Some of that awareness comes at markets, where Beiko promotes works like Scion of the Fox. Booth visitors often remark they\u2019re writing books using AI.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like all of my years of experience working in the literary field \u2014 my training, my education \u2014 has basically been distilled down into product generation,\u201d Beiko said. \u201cIt does make me incandescently furious.\u201d<\/p>\n Generative AI is feeding users\u2019 \u201cinstant gratification,\u201d Beiko said: \u201cThey want to get there without having to do the 12, 15 years of creating something (and) not being very good.\u201d<\/p>\n Something is lost by skipping the process, she added. She\u2019ll have 10 published titles next year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does make me incandescently furious.\u201d<\/p>\n Illustrator Nyco Rudolph said his workload doubles when clients arrive with AI-generated mock-ups.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a design perspective, they\u2019re kind of a mess,\u201d Rudolph said of the pictures. \u201cI have to not only draw it from scratch, but I have to convince (customers) to forget about what they\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a small complaint compared to artists whose incomes have been \u201cdecimated\u201d by generative AI, Rudolph said.<\/p>\n Sam Posnick hesitates before sharing her graphic design work on social media, a vital platform to draw sales. She runs her photos through a filter first, attempting to shield them from being used in AI datasets.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n
Book authors and media outlets have launched lawsuits against artificial intelligence companies over pirated work used for chatbot training. In September, Anthropic agreed to pay US$1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit; it\u2019s considered a landmark settlement.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, around 30 voice actors have signed with Voice.com\u2019s AI studio. Their cloned voices can be used by company clients, The Canadian Press reported in March.<\/p>\n More artists, from actors to illustrators, may sign deals to have their work used in AI products in the future, said Harry Roy McLaughlin, co-founder of the Manitoba Association of AI Professionals. He\u2019s heard of generative AI costing people their jobs: \u201cIt\u2019s serious.\u201d<\/p>\n The technology is used for \u201cquick turnaround\u201d tasks more often than projects requiring significant artist input, McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n He gave the example of a calculator: the invention didn\u2019t make mathematicians extinct, but it changed the profession. AI can change creative sectors, Roy said, adding there will always be an appetite for human-made art.<\/p>\n Rudolph is among the local artists worried about the future: \u201c(We\u2019re) flooded with all of this content.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the things we value about humanity and creativity \u2026 I feel like those are slowly going to erode.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the things we value about humanity and creativity \u2026 I feel like those are slowly going to erode.\u201d<\/p>\n Some artists are waiting for generative AI services to charge high fees or for the AI \u201cbubble\u201d to burst, weakening AI output.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so early in this game,\u201d said Mike Shekhtman, a senior regional director with Robert Half, an HR consulting firm.<\/p>\n Some graphic designers use AI in their process, he said, adding there\u2019s a common adage: \u201cPeople that leverage technology will replace individuals that are not using generative AI.\u201d<\/p>\n It boosts companies\u2019 productivity and efficiency, Shekhtman said, noting it\u2019s used to create reports, emails and content. Workplaces tend to lack AI policies and training for data protection.<\/p>\n \u201cHuman oversight is going to be critical,\u201d Shekhtman said.<\/p>\n Companies facing tight budgets or uncertainty \u2014 perhaps because of tariffs or inflation \u2014 may be pulling back on hiring, he added.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nPlante’s new \u201cNo AI\u201d sign follows repeated questions from market-goers seeking art untouched by AI.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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