DISCLAIMER: Some of the information in this article came from an article last year that was shelved. Due to some of the findings still holding true, and the return of Imaginus to campus, we have included those specific findings in this piece, crediting the original contributors. Additionally, while students suspect some AI pieces, we have no way to fully verify it.
The Imaginus Poster Fair is back on campus for the first week of the semester, earlier than usual this year, and just like last year, students have suspected that AI artwork is for sale.
For reference, this does not apply to every piece at the fair; the vast majority of pieces do not appear to utilize AI in any way. However, the fact that any pieces use it at all is cause for concern from students, and some pieces have been identified as potential suspects.
As an example, this poster of Link from The Legend of Zelda has all the trademarks of AI artwork. Key details are wrong, such as him having two Master Swords, with the one on his back missing one of the signature wings on the handle. The sheath on Link’s back also appears to be “melting” into his clothes, as does his hood into the cherry blossoms behind him.
Other suspected AI pieces include an image of Jinx from League of Legends, Princess Peach from Super Mario, and Pikachu from Pokémon. If this concerns you, make sure to vet your pieces thoroughly before purchasing anything.
This sale of AI works is one aspect of the fair that remains unchanged from last year. Those same pieces of Link, Peach, and Jinx were on sale at last year’s fair as well. Students even went around marking these pieces by writing “AI” on their sale tags.
The only official word we received from Imaginus on this is a statement sent to us last fall. We reached out for a new one, and have received no response at this time. The following quotations are from last year’s statement.
When asked about the ethics of selling AI art, they stated that they “view AI as a legitimate creative tool—much like digital editing or 3D rendering—used by many artists today.” They added that if students wish to avoid purchasing AI art at an Imaginus event, there are ways for them to do this.
They told us that “posters credited as ‘Anon’ may be either AI-assisted or human-made. Students who prefer to avoid AI-generated art can select posters explicitly credited to named artists.”
It is worth noting that some of the posters in question don’t even do this. The Link poster credits no artist, and just says “ZELDA, ‘LINK – BLOSSOMS” on the tag. The Pikachu and Peach posters follow the same format.
Similarly, this frog poster by the artist Popcornpunk doesn’t credit him on the tag, simply saying “AI, ‘LAUNDRY.'”
We reached out to Dr. Aaron Tucker, a professor at Memorial well-versed in artificial intelligence, about the ethics of selling AI artwork.
Tucker stated that two of the ethical concerns surrounding AI artwork, and why students may oppose its sale on campus, would be “the deep environmental impacts inherent to AI image generation, and a well-established history of copyright infringement in companies adopting artist’s work without permission as training materials.”
When asked about there being no disclosure prior to the event about the potential AI artwork for sale, here’s what Dr. Tucker had to say:
“I wouldn’t say that not labelling art generated by AI is deceptive or misleading – nothing in the sale is claiming to be all original artwork,” said Tucker. “That said, I think that, as consumers, students should advocate for having images generated by AI labelled as such so that students can have more information in order to make their own decisions about whether to purchase it or not.”
In addition, we reached out to MUNSU, the organizers of Welcome Week, and the Poster Fair’s incorporation in it, for comment on this matter. We have received no response at this time.
This story is currently ongoing. The Muse will provide updates as they become available.