Works of art created by artificial intelligence (“AI Art”) is a controversial topic on the internet. Some artists fear for their jobs, others are excited to see their ideas translated into great images. This discussion has now caused problems for an artist on reddit because his works do not look human enough to the moderators.
Who is the artist? Minh Anh Nguyen, also known by his stage name Ben Moran, hails from Vietnam and describes himself as a professional “digital artist.”
Moran’s works mostly show people or characters in a fantasy environment, often with an Asian touch and a certain manga style. The artist’s portfolio also includes sci-fi motifs such as mechs and cyberpunk. You can find his portfolio on DeviantArt.
One of the artist’s most recent works is entitled A Muse in Warzone and was commissioned as the book cover for Selkie Smith’s fantasy series Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. Exactly this work has now given Moran a ban in the art subreddit:
Moderator advises: “Get a new style”
Why was Moran banned? According to the moderator, the problem is that Moran’s style is too reminiscent of art created by an AI. However, it was forbidden in the corresponding subreddit, which is why the thread was closed and Moran himself was banned.
When asked to fix the problem, the artist received a rather unfriendly response, which he showed on Twitter. Moran explained he doesn’t use AI support, can even provide Photoshop files and his portfolio as proof. The relevant moderator replied:
I do not believe you. Even if you “draw” yourself, it’s so obviously an AI-powered design that it doesn’t matter. If you’re really a “serious” artist, you need to change your style because A) nobody will believe you if you say it’s not AI and B) an AI can do better in seconds what takes you hours to do. Sorry, but that’s the way the world works.
Moran was subsequently muted and will not be able to reply or engage with the moderators for 28 days. Other users on Twitter have attempted to work things out for Moran and have themselves been permanently banned for doing so.
In another thread on reddit with Moran’s works, users complain about the behavior: “200 IQ: Instantly ban everything that looks like AI without a message. 300 IQ: Reject any evidence to the contrary. 400 IQ: Make sure this is a commissioned cover for a pretty popular book.”
In an interview with the US site Vice, another moderator of the subreddit explains: only people who make mistakes work there. However, moderators are unpaid, voluntary employees. The admins would not provide any help. The subreddit was therefore temporarily switched to private, so as not to offer trolls a platform. According to Vice, reddit itself does not want to comment on this.
For some time there have been artificial intelligence projects that create art by inputting a topic. The most well-known image AIs include Dall-E and MidJourney.
The AIs are often used as a gimmick, for example to show what the last selfie ever taken on earth looks like. The AI uses existing images to create a new image. This is a subject of heavy debate in the art scene, as there are still no clear rules on image rights.
An AI has even won an art competition.
Moran himself commented that art AIs are not a threat to artists but can contribute to the development of art as a whole. MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski takes a similar view:
The AI that artists fear makes me happy
The cover image serves as a symbol image.