As AI technology continues to become more advanced, the comic industry is taking steps to deal with its rapidly growing presence. The last few years have shaken many comic creators who are sounding the alarm bells overthe potential threat that AI presents.
Artificial intelligence has boomed in popularity, from services such as ChatGPT to organizational tools like Copilot. It has even made its way into the art sphere with programs like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion. Comic book professionals have been disturbed atthe implications of AIand its potential to replace artists, and in Europe, creators are handling this issue in a variety of ways.
European Comic Publishers Take a Stand Against AI
But Some See the Value of AI in Comic Creation
PerThe Star, Europe’s comic scene is at an inflection point when it comes to artificial intelligence. The European Union’s copyright laws don’t explicitly cover AI-generated art, leaving many creators in a lurch when it comes to their art being taken and used for machine-learning programs. But change is on the horizon as the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act will begin to be implemented, forcing services to be more transparent about their training models as well as opening them up to copyright lawsuits,a victory for many European comic creators.
One such supporter of these upcoming laws is Gauthier van Meerbeeck, editorial director of Le Lombard, the publisher of the beloved adventure comicTintin. Van Meerbeeck notes that AI generative tools such as Midjourney have seen a “complete rejection” from the European comic book industry. The director was not shy about his feelings for AI, saying that any art produced by machine-learning is “generated by stealing from artists” and that he morally “could never get involved with that”. However, van Meerbeeck’s opinionsaren’t exactly shared by all European comic professionals.
Belgian comic book artist Marnix Verduyn (also known professionally as NIX), hasa more practical view of AIand has even trained algorithms using his own work. Though NIX admitted that AI has the potential to replace artists, he sees it as ‘gently disruptive’ to the system and allows Europe to compete with the United States and Japanese markets by handling the more repetitive tasks. NIX sees AI as a tool that ultimately leaves humans in charge, but others like Meerbeeck continue to view it asa threat to the European comic industry.
Change is Necessary to Make Sure Comic Artists Are Protected
Tools Are Fine as Long as They Don’t Become Weapons
With AI growing more powerful every day, what’s going on in Europe is exactly what’s happening in the United States. Artists' work is being fed into algorithms without their consent, allowing for programs like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion to generate art modeled after specific creators. It’s incredible and a little frightening how fast the technology has advanced and, unfortunately, due to the slow nature of law-making, it’s taken a long time for anyone to come up with rules that would ensure artists' work isn’t being used tofuel a technology that could harm their livelihoods as comic professionals.
Van Meerbeck’s attitude reflects many comic creators' feelings towards AI, who see these technologies replacing living artists in what could be a matter of years. This year alone, several publishers have had AI controversies, including DC Comics, which pulled a few variant covers after they were accused of being AI-generated. This speaks to the larger fears of many artists, who face the real threat of being replaced by the much more cost-effective option of an AI image generator. It also speaks towhy broad protections are needed now more than ever, as comic artists face an uncertain future.
Of course, if an individual artist like NIX wants to train an algorithm off of their own work and apply it to things they create, they’re well within that right (especially since NIX is open about his use of machine-learning in his work). But there’s a difference between someone using AI for their own work and actual artists being muscled out by programs. These technologies are just technologies, but without laws to protect creators, they could wind uptransforming the comic industry for the worse by putting a lot of talented people out of work.
The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act is a Model to Follow
Other Countries Should Follow This Example
It’s going to take time for the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act to be fully implemented, but it’s already having a positive effect on European artists, who see this as the right move to protect comic creators. Other countries, particularly the United States, would do well following in the EU’s footsteps and passing legislation to hold technology firms accountable while also ensuring that artists aren’t stolen from. It might be a time-consuming effort, but it’s worth it if it means keeping the comic book industry in the hands of actual creators.
