LuansCafe I actually don’t encounter much anti-AI discourse on my “For You” page, though I’ve also curated my X feed very heavily so that I mainly see content I’m genuinely interested in unless I intentionally venture into those discussions myself. That said, I knew from the beginning that Recreate would likely face backlash for hosting the contest, simply because of its association with AI.
I do wish more people understood that there are legitimate and thoughtful ways to use AI beyond simply typing a prompt and posting the first result. Personally, I can’t stand the overwhelming amount of low-effort AI slop content that floods every corner of the internet either. However, I also think there’s another side to the conversation that often gets ignored.
Long before AI tools became mainstream, I had already been working as a traditional artist for well over a decade. Art is my primary source of income, and at any given time I’m balancing commissions, content for my SubscribeStar, and 3D modeling work for a game project I’m developing. It can honestly become overwhelming trying to keep up with the workload required to maintain a comfortable living.
Because of advancements in AI, I’ve been able to have a model trained directly on my own artwork so it can assist me in completing work more efficiently and consistently. Could I still do every single step entirely by hand and spend several days finishing one piece? Absolutely. But if AI can help me shade artwork that I already lined and colored myself, and reduce that process down to a single day, that’s an incredibly valuable tool for me.
When the model is trained exclusively on my own work, I personally do not see that as infringement. I think there absolutely are ethical ways artists can adapt AI into their workflow to reduce stress and improve productivity, and for many artists such as myself, that support is genuinely welcome. You would be surprised how many artists secretly use AI in this way to help them, but are dishonest about it due to fear of backlash and cancellation.
If people could move past immediately reacting negatively the moment they see the letters “AI,” I think we could have far healthier and more productive conversations about the topic, much like the one you and I are having now.
