Work pages using AI art?

In multiple discussions surrounding this work (CV IP), it became apparent that we don't have a policy in place for how to represent work pages illustrated by the creators using A.I.-Generated Artwork. We had previously decided to disallow them for trope pages; does creator intent change this for work pages?

My main concern was, and still is, legality. AI works of art cannot be copyrighted, and there's a huge issue of the AI plagiarizing content. If this isn't considered to be something TVT should be concerned over, then fair enough, but it is the main reason I was iffy on it. (I don't have an issue with the general practice of AI generated art as long as people are using the tools responsibly or just having a laugh)

Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness

Yeah, I think it makes sense to ban it for trope pages for that reason.

When it comes to work pages I feel it's fine as long as it's the original work or creator the one who used AI art. Then we're just representing the content work as it is.

But I would ban using AI art for works that don't use it. So for instance, if (hypothetical troper) uses AI art to create some My Little Pony image that looks like official art, I would not allow it to be used in the My Little Pony work page.

This feels relevant in case of fanfics, because people might feel tempted to make AI art for fanfics that don't have any art to represent them. It's not the same if the fic author is the one responsible for the AI art, since that would be troping the work.

That's what I think we should do until the whole legal status of AI art and copyright becomes more clearly defined, at least.

Yeah, I think we're best off limiting ourselves to copying AI art generated by the work creator, because at least then it's not our fault.

I agree with the above.

An illustration is an illustration, even if it's automatically generated, it's something the author consciously used to represent the content. If it's not part of the work's content, then an already existing logic applies that we don't use it.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

It's hard to develop a policy on something unless it's already infiltrating the wiki, and it was already agreed to avoid AI art as much as possible. Generally speaking, ideal images come directly from a work with "work image with minor editing" (ie Composite Character / Decomposite Character), fan art (Draco in Leather Pants) and "work image with major editing" (Ron the Death Eater) in decreasing order of the types of preferred page pictures. Ideal images for a work itself should also be official promotional material and not a screencap. In the specific cases where a creator used AI for some type of promotional material I would say that reflects existing policy.

Note that while this is a controversial topic, AI tools have been used extensively for years and is likely to keep evolving. If an artist manually creates 50% of a poster and uses AI generation for the remainder, is it AI art or something else? There has already been AI art used for major releases, sometimes not revealed until weeks after the fact.

Do you not know that in the service one must always choose the lesser of two weevils!

I am honestly enthralled with AI Art as a tool, I've always had very vivid pictures in my head by zero artistic ability to get them out save by writing. With AI, I can't quite get exactly what I picture in my head, but I can get close, and sometimes get something even better than what I was picturing.

I understand a lot of the concerns about it, but I think a few of them are overblown. The AI plagiarizing is one of them, the AI doesn't, and in my experience can't, directly rip off someone else. That's more the realm of people using the tool, specifically "image to image," taking a picture and running it through the AI to slightly change it. Anything in the AI that's based off "real" art isn't much different than a human artist inspired by the styles and work of other artists who came before.

I agree that AI art is probably not best for tropes pages, and if the site decided on just a blanket ban of AI art, I wouldn't be happy, but I'd understand the reasons and accept them.

I do have an issue with the proposed restriction. I read and loved The Lightning Strike, and was inspired to make AI Art for a cover image, then was asked by the author to do one for the sequel, "The Broken Day''. I also gave permission to a troper to use those images on the tropes page for that fic. My art is the only art in the fic, so under this proposed policy it would have to be taken down. Because it is pretty much what was stated, someone not the author inspired to create (AI) art for a fic that doesn't have any. I'm quite proud of those pictures, I'd be sad to see them go.

(Individual characters and the background were AI-generated, then Photopea was used to assemble and add text.)

That said, I admit there probably isn't a good answer to the potential of some AI artists using the tool improperly and adding those images to the wiki, which could cause problems. Short of having someone working full-time on policing site images.

To be clear, I have no real issue with anyone using AI art for their stuff (I've used it for myself a few times since it can be genuinely fun, even if most images I get back are garbage). It really is just the legal stuff that stands in my way of being completely OK with it, because I myself have experienced the AI I use just straight up copying things (and it's one that just generates it based on words alone, I don't like the ones that complicate it more than that). Which... Yeah.

In the perspective of "It's not TVT's fault", I can see it being fine since any copying issues wouldn't be committed by the site itself. It likely won't lead to any actual trouble on our end

Edited by WarJay77 on Apr 26th 2024 at 1:56:15 PM

Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness

It sure does as far as I observe.

I'm not really concerned about legal stuff because there's no law yet. When there'll be one, then it'd be a problem.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

I'm inclined to go with the "AI art is acceptable if and only if the work's creator chose to represent their work with AI art." That way we can say that any art theft is on the creator while also still providing an illustration for those work pages in question.

Edited by CompletelyNormalGuy on Apr 26th 2024 at 6:13:23 AM

Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.

I like that phrasing. That seems to cover all the bases. Well done, friend!

AI art is a kind of fan art, I would tend to treat them the same. I don't think there is a legal distinction in practice.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

In that case there may need to be an update of at least once Image Pickin' thread, since I recall an earlier thread banning them for trope images.

Not sure if the reference is still there, though.

Edit: NVM, found it was already addressed.

Edited by plakythebirb on May 2nd 2024 at 8:40:24 AM

Welcome to Ideal's World

I believe it's been updated, and you can just check with IP thread themselves.

e

Edited by Amonimus on May 2nd 2024 at 3:40:44 PM

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

Given that upper management's given a pretty clear decision on the topic, would it make sense to lock this?

Welcome to Ideal's World