DC Comics won't support generative AI: 'not now, not ever'

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Source: The Verge

DC Comics president and publisher Jim Lee said that the company “will not support AI-generated storytelling or artwork,” assuring fans that its future will remain rooted in human creativity. “Not now, not ever, as long as [SVP, general manager] Anne DePies and I are in charge,” Lee said during his panel at New York Comic Con on Wednesday, likening concerns around AI dominating future creative industries to the Millennium bug scare and NFT hype.

“People have an instinctive reaction to what feels authentic. We recoil from what feels fake. That’s why human creativity matters,” said Lee. “AI doesn’t dream. It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t make art. It aggregates it.”

While DC has a longstanding policy that requires all artwork to be original and authentically produced by artists, the company has faced several scandals over the suspected use of generative AI in variant comic book covers. Backlash from people who oppose the technology over concerns that it will replace the work of writers and artists pressured DC to replace the suspected covers, and likely contributed to the company taking a firmer stance against using generative AI in future projects.

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Read more: https://www.theverge.com/news/797540/dc-comics-jim-lee-no-generative-ai-pledge

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More from Gizmodo:

https://gizmodo.com/dc-comics-jim-lee-generative-ai-new-york-comic-con-2000670254

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Lee expanded upon his declaration, saying what DC Comics does is rooted in humanity.

“It’s that fragile, beautiful connection between imagination and emotion that fuels our media. The stuff that makes our universe come alive,” he said. “It’s the imperfect mind, the creative risk, the hand-drawn gesture that no algorithm can replicate.”

He continued: “When I draw, I make mistakes. A lot of them. But that’s the point. The smudge, the rough lines, the hesitation—that’s me in the work. That’s my journey. That’s what makes it come alive.

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Lee’s words come downwind of the comic book industry putting its foot down on its stance on generative AI. Key among them is Dark Horse Comics, which, last year, released a statement saying it does not support the use of AI-generated material and instead supports the “human creative professionals.”

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This is a much more ethical and rational stand than that of some who imagine they're creating "fine art" welcoming the use of AI.