The world of digital art is getting a tech makeover, and not everyone is thrilled. With AI tools like MidJourney generating images faster than you can say “Ctrl+Z,” creators like yours truly are navigating some serious challenges.
The Staggering Effects of AI on the Job Market
If you’re an artist like me, you’ve seen a precipitous drop in commissions lately. This is no accident. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into creative industries has led to significant job displacement among artists. In China, the adoption of image-generation AI resulted in a staggering 70% reduction in positions for video game illustrators as of April 2023 (Wikipedia). Similarly, a survey revealed that 26% of illustrators have lost jobs to AI technologies, with an additional third experiencing decreased income due to the rise of generative AI (80 Level). In the video game sector, the widespread implementation of AI tools has contributed to substantial layoffs, including 11,000 job losses in 2024 alone (WIRED). These statistics underscore the profound impact AI advancements are having on employment within artistic professions, raising concerns about the future stability of creative jobs.
Claims of AI Stealing Work
On top of a shrinking job market, creatives now have to worry about their work being used to train AI algorithms. While many consider this art theft, the legal ramifications are still being decided in the court system. Though the art community at large is united in their condemnation of this practice, there is nuance worth mentioning.
Aside from image-to-image AI tools where someone purposefully recreates a work with slight changes, the majority of images output by AI are derivative, meaning they aren’t taking a pixel-for-pixel copy of a work and putting it in some digital collage. AI generates imagery using complex 3D parameters with sufficiently different perspectives and lighting to become its own entity. It’s no different than someone using an image as reference to draw something in a similar style, and you can’t copyright a style. If the work qualifies as derivative, and the vast majority does, then creatives have no legal standing in the U.S. to prevent their work from ending up in learning algorithms. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to mitigate the risk of your work being used to train algorithms.
How to Avoid AI Scraping Your Work
On platforms like DeviantArt and ArtStation, you can now opt out of AI scraping by adjusting your account settings to disable your work from being included in training datasets. There are even ways to opt out of some of the largest databases directly. This doesn’t stop the rest of the world from ignoring your wishes, however.
That’s where tools like Glaze come in. Glaze applies subtle, imperceptible changes to digital artworks, distorting how AI interprets the art without altering its appearance to the human eye to protect your style from AI models.
There are also the old standbys. You can still add visible or invisible watermarks to your art, making it harder for image-to-image AI usage without attribution or permission. And be sure to post copyright and license statements next to your work to make your wishes clear.
So, Where Do I Stand?
I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. “But you’re an artist!” I hear you shout in outrage. “How can you be in favor of AI?” Hear me out. AI, like anything else, is a tool. When used correctly, it can speed up production and enhance your workflow. Need to generate a mood board to help get the right atmosphere for a piece? Generate away! Need some good reference without running afoul of copyrighted imagery? AI can be a lifesaver. Generate an AI image and claim it as yours? Nope. Not okay.
When used responsibly, AI can be a wonderful asset. When it’s used to replace learning actual skills, however, it becomes a crutch instead of a tool. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. If you want to be better at art, you have to build up critical skills like perspective, anatomy, and color theory on your own.
That being said, I’m not going to lie. I’m downright thrilled AI can’t be copyrighted because that leaves the narrowest niche open to us artists to fulfill commissions for projects that need intellectual protection. But I also understand I’m walking a fine line, and any change to copyright law in the future can tip the balance.
In Conclusion…
Folks, the genie is not going back in the bottle. AI, like all technology, is here to stay. We can either adapt or become obsolete. Yes, this means fewer art jobs for artists. I get it. It’s a daunting prospect, but there IS still a market for art created by genuine artists because AI art can’t be copyrighted. So keep your chin up, and keep on painting!
