A local comic book store that used artificial intelligence-generated art in its mailings caught a whole lot of flak. It was also given a pass by people who said the plight of small-business owners made it OK.
The conversation caught thousands of eyes on Reddit and stirred up hundreds of comments after the original poster shared three images with classic signs of AI slop, including pitifully rendered hands, made-up letters and words, and wild depictions such as “batcaptmanamerica.”
“This is antithetical to any conceivable reason for opening a comic store in the first place,” one user wrote.
Another joked: “I highly recommend getting Sapvertune Somic graded and slabbed. I give it three malformed thumbs up.”
“Hate to see this,” someone else said. “My very first job as an artist was to draw promotional images for my local comic book shop.”
That underscored the crux of the issue, as using AI to produce art takes work and money away from creators. It’s a common practice, though, and some people deemed it acceptable for the store, which likely had a small or nonexistent advertising budget.
Others countered this narrative, essentially arguing that two wrongs don’t make a right. A comic store exists to share artwork, and there are many alternatives to AI products. One commenter listed no fewer than eight options, pointing out that the owner, employees, or staff could have made the promotional materials instead. Photography, creative typography, publicly available graphics, creative software, and a freelance website were other possibilities. “What did stores do before AI art tools were available [for] public use?” they asked.
AI, though, is cheap to use and readily available. The cost is hard to quantify. Mysterious data centers that belch unseen pollution and sap vital resources such as energy and water harm human health and the planet, but it’s a slow burn and seems unstoppable.
As commenters noted, to stand up against this ineffective and dangerous menace, it’s essential to use your voice, whether that means talking to friends and family about your values or engaging your local comic store owner about the harms of AI.
“I’d mail them a letter and tell [them] how gross that is,” one user said. “I’d tell them in person [too] next time I was there.”
Someone else agreed, writing, “Yup, talk to them and make them realise that’s the kind of s*** that will finally get them out of business.”
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