Sigh... There's no denying that AI is a tool. Like any tool they can be used for good or bad. Sometimes I use it to help get me out of writer's block. I never copy the words, partly because AI didn't understand the context. But also because i needed a direction on what to write about when I have the elements. So I translate what ChatGPT said to me my way.
As for comics, one thing I would not mind as much is AI being used for variant covers. I know a lot of artists make money through that but if cheapening the most regularly expensive part of making a comic can lead to interior art getting better pay, I'm all for it. And if not, wouldn't mind having less variant covers.
It’s important to note that if AI is used in creation of your product, many platforms require that you state that. Also, the copyright office will not accept anything created by AI. So be very wary of these restrictions if you are using AI to create your product.
Right now, I'm 100% anti-AI use in comic creation. I know that as time wears on, I'll mellow, and accept (and maybe even use) it as a tool. But as a lifelong union guy, from a union family, I don't want that tool to replace creatives. I want creatives to have control over the tool and how it's used.
My personal preference would be that it's limited to creating backgrounds, or background characters, and that use is limited to the artist being hired to create the backgrounds and background characters. I definitely don't want AI to replace a talented artist, and I can't see myself ever supporting a fully AI project.
Sigh... There's no denying that AI is a tool. Like any tool they can be used for good or bad. Sometimes I use it to help get me out of writer's block. I never copy the words, partly because AI didn't understand the context. But also because i needed a direction on what to write about when I have the elements. So I translate what ChatGPT said to me my way.
As for comics, one thing I would not mind as much is AI being used for variant covers. I know a lot of artists make money through that but if cheapening the most regularly expensive part of making a comic can lead to interior art getting better pay, I'm all for it. And if not, wouldn't mind having less variant covers.
It’s important to note that if AI is used in creation of your product, many platforms require that you state that. Also, the copyright office will not accept anything created by AI. So be very wary of these restrictions if you are using AI to create your product.
The AI discussion is virtually never actually had. It is mostly spoken around. But there are deeper questions the existence of AI asks. I did write about it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/comicsodyssey/p/monsters-in-the-ocean-on-the-human?r=1ha5sn&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
In short, no it is not “just” a tool because we don’t know what AI is yet.
As for the question queued up by Gabe, yes AI is a threat to comics but only in the sense that comics are so fragile that a light breeze is a threat.
Right now, I'm 100% anti-AI use in comic creation. I know that as time wears on, I'll mellow, and accept (and maybe even use) it as a tool. But as a lifelong union guy, from a union family, I don't want that tool to replace creatives. I want creatives to have control over the tool and how it's used.
My personal preference would be that it's limited to creating backgrounds, or background characters, and that use is limited to the artist being hired to create the backgrounds and background characters. I definitely don't want AI to replace a talented artist, and I can't see myself ever supporting a fully AI project.