Utah\u2019s largest pop culture convention has taken a firm stance in the ongoing debate surrounding AI-generated art.<\/p>\n
In a letter<\/a> sent to artists and exhibitors last week, FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention announced it had updated its policy to prohibit AI-generated art and merchandise.<\/p>\n The update was partially in response to an incident<\/a> that occurred at Dragon Con in Atlanta earlier this month, when an artist was asked to leave after violating the convention\u2019s rules against selling AI-generated art. <\/p>\n \u200a\u201cWe\u2019ve always been an aggregate of amazingly talented and creative people,\u201d FanX founder Dan Farr told the Deseret News. \u201cAI\u2019s here to stay. We\u2019ll have to kind of figure out and evolve our plan around it as we get further down the road. But right now, the decision has been made to really feature and focus on the artists that are creating original artwork.\u201d<\/p>\n Farr said that while FanX hasn\u2019t had issues with AI-generated art or merchandise in the past, they wanted to be proactive with their policies. <\/p>\n As of Sept. 5, Farr said only one vendor had dropped out of the convention, although he wasn\u2019t sure whether it was due to the updated AI policy or a separate conflict for that vendor.<\/p>\n What are fans and vendors saying about FanX\u2019s AI art ban?<\/p>\n The announcement has largely been met with praise from both vendors and attendees who have spoken out on social media. <\/p>\n Painted Dragon Studios, run by artists Aaron and Shannon Long, applauded the move in a Facebook post<\/a> and shared the negative effects AI-generated art has had on their own business.<\/p>\n \u201cSo glad we won\u2019t have to worry about being neighbors with another booth full of AI stuff,\u201d the post reads. \u201cThe booth across from me at ATL Comic Convention back in July was selling AI generated dragons on canvas prints for next to nothing. Made it soooooo difficult to get any interest in my art as I was charging my normal rates for most of the weekend. I ended up having to drop my prices by a lot just to barely hope to break even on the booth fee.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Bruno, a commercial illustrator and featured vendor<\/a> at this year\u2019s FanX, also supported FanX\u2019s update. He told the Deseret News that exhibiting at conventions represents a serious investment of time, effort and money for artists.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spent years and years working on the craft so that we can make a living off of it,\u201d Bruno said. \u201cSo to see somebody just kind of click a button in a program, rip off one of our existing styles or pieces, it\u2019s incredibly frustrating. And illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n What happened at Dragon Con?<\/p>\n The topic of AI art at fan conventions garnered renewed interest on Sept. 1, when an artist was asked to leave Dragon Con for selling work that had been created with AI tools.<\/p>\n In a statement provided to the Deseret News, Dragon Con organizers stated that all its vendors and artists \u2014 including the artist who was asked to leave the convention \u2014 had signed contracts agreeing not to sell AI-generated art.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the case involving O.G. Art, after her use of AI was brought to the convention\u2019s attention, we asked the artist to provide videos and other materials demonstrating her process,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThese materials clearly showed that she had used AI to create the works offered for sale at Dragon Con.\u201d<\/p>\n The use of AI in the creation of original works has been prohibited since before Dragon Con\u2019s 2024 convention. That year, the convention removed an entry from its art awards consideration because AI tools had been used to create it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that AI is a new tool with enormous potential, and that society will eventually reach a consensus on how it should be used in creating original works of art,\u201d Dragon Con\u2019s statement reads. \u201cUntil then, Dragon Con will focus its efforts on recognizing the best in human imagination and the skill artists use to translate their vision to paper or canvas.\u201d<\/p>\n What are the problems with AI art?<\/p>\n Farr addressed a few concerns with selling AI-generated products. The main issue is that because AI programs are trained from preexisting art, AI-generated art raises concerns about copyright and plagiarism. <\/p>\n Bruno echoed this concern.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only reason that the AI programs are able to generate the type of images that you\u2019re seeing is because they\u2019re stealing styles and examples from existing projects and existing artists,\u201d Bruno said. \u201cSo the whole base for their model is pretty fraudulent.\u201d<\/p>\n Farr also noted that people who buy AI art without realizing may later feel that they did not get their money\u2019s worth for their purchase. He also wanted to avoid potentially uncomfortable situations \u2014 he said the artistic community is generally not very accepting of AI art, and having a firm policy would avoid a potential witch hunt. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll focus on the positive aspects of the convention. We have so many amazing things happening this year. A lot of great celebrity guests coming, the amazing vendor list, a lot of really fun panels … It\u2019s gonna be an amazing event, and so hopefully the focus isn\u2019t gonna be on whether somebody used AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Proponents of AI art argue that it opens doors<\/a> for people who are not usually creative or who lack artistic skills. It\u2019s also cheaper and faster than commissioning a human artist.<\/p>\n But beyond the questionable origins of AI art, there are a plethora of additional concerns. <\/p>\n For instance, while AI programs may be free to use, there is still a cost in water and energy. Data centers \u2014 including ones here in Utah<\/a> \u2014 can challenge electricity needs, and could use 7 billion gallons<\/a> of water annually to cool their servers.<\/p>\n How can you tell if artwork was made with AI?<\/p>\n Bruno said there are some classic \u201ctells\u201d for AI art. <\/p>\n \u200a\u201cAny artist is gonna be able to spot inaccuracies with anatomy or just basic things with lighting and shading,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, as Farr noted, FanX\u2019s update is still difficult to enforce. He said software that aims to detect AI art \u2014 software that uses artificial intelligence itself \u2014 is often wrong. <\/p>\n So the hope here is that artists will follow the honor code, and Farr said that if there are concerns about anything shown at the convention, they will investigate issues as they arise and ask artists to show their process.<\/p>\n \u200a\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to evolve with it and make sure that we\u2019re looking out for the creative people that have helped to build the show,\u201d Farr said.<\/p>\n Keeping the human element in art<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why we would want to remove the artists from art,\u201d Bruno said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a pretty pivotal role in the process, for both commercial work and even fine art at museums. … I don\u2019t know why you\u2019d want to ever remove the human element from that.\u201d<\/p>\n This call for the human element of art has been echoed by artists and art enthusiasts around the globe. <\/p>\n \u201cThere really is something in how AI art cant get human hands right vs. some of the oldest art we have is our handprints on a wall,\u201d one popular Tumblr post<\/a> reads.<\/p>\n According to Bruno, this desire for innately human art is starting to swing the pendulum away from AI-generated art. He said he and his fellow artists have been getting more work lately, and he hopes it represents a more permanent support of human artists.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of say this with a little bit of hesitancy, but I think we\u2019re headed back to the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n