The rise of generative AI has caused quite a bit of controversy in the last year, especially in the entertainment industry. It was a major factor in the Hollywood strikes and the current strikes plaguing video game voice actors, and there have been similar controversies over its use in the artistic sector. In addition to video games and books that use this technology, the comic book industry will also have to be wary of this technology encroaching on their industries, both from artists within the industry and those using the technology to get into the industry.
Recently, activist and former football player Colin Kaepernick announced the launch of his own comic book company, Lumi. The company’s biggest “selling point” is that it uses genAI to draw and sell comics to readers, and Kaepernick says the company will be creator-owned with built-in merchandising. Kaepernick has raised $4 million in funding for Lumi, and he believes the company will also help “level the playing field,” touting it as a way for aspiring creators to break into the comic book world without having to rely on a full team or personal connections to Hollywood.
This is a completely worthless idea, ignoring Kaepernick’s own connections, having written children’s books for Scholastic and co-producing a Netflix series about his life with Ava DuVernay. GenAI is often said to be a way to help non-creative people create their own stuff, but the technology is essentially stealing because it’s stealing existing work. There’s no getting around it. If you want to create something, success Because people in those fields will avoid you if they know how it’s made, and because making things requires you to start badly and improve over time.
Even more problematic is that artist Karey Randolph claims that he and other artists were told about Kapernick’s Lumi project a few months ago and how harmful the technology was. He decided to continue anyway, reportedly pitching it to artists at San Diego Comic-Con as a “charity.” Not getting consent until after the fact is also a big problem with genAI. Think of OpenAI using Scarlett Johansson’s voice for a chatbot even though she clearly said no, or agencies using coded language in contracts to allow voice actors to use synthetic voices. Companies and people like Kapernick prefer to ask for forgiveness rather than asking for permission, which makes life pretty frustrating as a creative person or fan of creative art.
As Randolph said, all you need to draw comics is “hard work, a pencil, and paper.” If you’re serious about getting into the industry, there are plenty of free resources available to you. Using genAI to get in isn’t helping anyone, it’s hurting everyone.
[via ComicsBeat]
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