If I cannot stop the flood, I better learn to ride the waves.

Let’s be honest, we were all steamrolled when AI entered the scene. And if you are anything like me… my mind is unable to grasp the far-reaching implications AI will have on all aspects of life. But I do know it will impact the industry I chose to work in. We can wail and scream, but AI is here to stay.

My stance on AI

I started experimenting with text2image AI in July 2022. I might be one of a few illustrators and artists who is open about these experiments. I was in New York Magazine, Spiegel, and on German tv. People tell me I should keep these experiments to myself. It would hurt my reputation. I think transparency and an open mind are needed.

Right now, people are scared. Scared for their jobs, scared to lose the things they love (writing! drawing! music!) But fear clouds our judgement.

Experiments

As my first experiment in August 2022, I combined ai-generated scenes and backgrounds with my own illustrations and storytelling. You can find the book here:

One thing I learned: people may joke about hands or other errors in AI output, but the speed with which these models develop will make the output flawless within the year.

I created a second book in a similar way, a Xmas present for my nephew. With the newer models, I could have gotten a lot closer to my personal style, and I will probably do that in future personal projects.

The legal and ethical implications

I watch the outcome of the legal battles with interest, especially the ones concerning the legality of the datasets. I believe the Getty lawsuit has a more solid base than the artist one, but I am not a lawyer.

I am vocal about not using living artist names in prompts. If all you enter is an artist name, and get output that vaguely looks like their work? The AI has too much work linked to that name. Legally, styles cannot be copyrighted. I believe with the advent of AI, this has to change. It is unethical to copy or steal an artist’s style and work.

In my professional work, there can be no question about who owns the copyright.

For that reason alone, my professional work does not contain AI output or elements.

AI will not replace me

How I use AI

I use AI for ideation and references, the way I used Pinterest, photos, or Google images before. It is a creative slot machine, presenting me with 100 possible sketches and ideas and perspectives in 5 minutes. Yes, I find it inspiring and eye-opening and sometimes frustrating.

I often give it sketches and final work, to get variations or new ideas from that. At all times, AI is a starting point for my sketches… and by the time I am done, there is no AI left in my work.

As AI develops, I do think it may open up different ways to work. I could give it a piece of mine to create other perspectives or poses. Change the lighting. Improve continuation between pages. Draw within the AI to guide the output. As Terry Pratchett said: “May you live in interesting times.”

Why AI will not replace me

At heart, I am a storyteller. I weave details of the story into every page. There are hidden details on every spread. There is intent in every stroke, in every word.

AI has no intent. The best-looking AI images rely on chance, and it is delusional for a prompter to believe that they were the creator. That said – artists using AI in their workflow can run circles around people who can only type keywords. We can feed it sketches and final work, truly elevate the output by developing it further, and actually understand the needed storytelling that AI on its own is missing.

In addition, all creation is a team effort. My critique group, editors, and art directors are vital in my process. Their feedback and our brainstorming sessions result in my best work. None of my clients would replace my unique insight with a machine.

The societal dangers I see

One thing we need to realize: We will not be able to trust our own senses going forward. Photographs, videos, voice overs – all can be manipulated to perfection. The current tells in output will disappear within months. In our current political climate, this scares me.

For artists especially, it will be hard to compete with the flood of AI-generated output. You think you are invisible now, struggling to get past the Instagram or Twitter algorithm? It will get worse.

All I can do as an artist is cherish the human connections I have. Improve my art. And rely on my networks and channels and storytelling skills to still remain relevant.

So what next?

I honestly do not know. I believe AI will move us faster towards UBI, Universal Basic Income. Too many industries will be streamlined and affected, too many jobs will change, to not introduce this.

We are still in society’s capitalistic stage where everything needs to be monetized. The threat of AI is less in the technology, and more in the pressure to turn it into money. People who let AI write for them, draw for them, think for them – all of that could be a means of therapeutic self-expression. Instead, it is seen as a means for a quick buck.

It takes time to learn a new art. It takes time to craft a story, or understand the visual storytelling inherent in a picture book. You have to fail and experiment, get to know yourself and your medium of expression.

AI is not a shortcut to bypass all of this. It can be a tool within your workflow. It can help to experiment, it can help to broaden your approach.

But if you let AI do all the work, do all the writing, all the drawing… there is no You left in the result.

AI cannot replace human creativity. It cannot replace our experiences, our worldview, our pain and our joy. You are still relevant, and your creativity is still needed. You cannot be replaced.