AI Art is a controversial topic on the internet. Some artists fear for their jobs, while others are excited to see their ideas realized in great images. One artist has now encountered problems on reddit because his works do not appear human enough to the moderators.
Who is the artist? Minh Anh Nguyen, also known by his artist name Ben Moran, hails from Vietnam and calls himself a professional “Digital Artist.”
Moran’s works predominantly depict people or figures in a fantasy environment, often with an Asian touch and a certain manga style. Sci-Fi motifs like mechs and cyberpunk are also part of the artist’s portfolio. You can find his portfolio on DeviantArt.
One of the artist’s latest works is titled: “A Muse in Warzone” and was commissioned as a book cover for the fantasy series “Beneath the Dragoneye Moons” by Selkie Smith. However, this very work has now resulted in Moran being banned 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 resembles art created by an AI too much. Such art is banned in the relevant subreddit, which is why the thread was closed and Moran himself was banned.
When asked for a solution to the problem, the artist received a rather unfriendly response, which he showed on Twitter. Moran explained that he does not use AI assistance and can even provide Photoshop files and his portfolio as proof. The corresponding moderator replied:
I don’t believe you. Even if you did “paint” it yourself, it is so obviously an AI-influenced design that it doesn’t matter. If you are truly a “serious” artist, you need to adopt another style because A) no one will believe you when you say this is not AI, and B) an AI can create this in seconds better than you can in hours. Sorry, but that’s how the world works.
Moran was subsequently muted and cannot respond or contact the moderators for 28 days. Other users on Twitter have tried to clarify the matter for Moran and were permanently banned for it.
In another thread on reddit featuring Moran’s works, users complain about the behavior: “200 IQ: Ban everything that looks even remotely like AI immediately without warning. 300 IQ: Reject any evidence to the contrary. 400 IQ: Make sure it’s a commissioned cover for a pretty popular book.”
In an interview with the U.S. site Vice, another moderator of the subreddit explains: only humans work there, and mistakes can happen. Moderators are unpaid, volunteer workers. The admins provide no assistance. The subreddit was temporarily set to private to prevent trolls from having a platform. Reddit itself, according to Vice, does not want to comment on this.
For some time now, there have been projects by artificial intelligence that create art through input of a theme. Among the most well-known image AIs are Dall-E and MidJourney.
The AIs are often used as a toy, for example, to see what the last selfie looks like that was ever taken on Earth. The AI accesses existing images to create a new image from them. This is heavily debated in the art scene, as there are still no clear rules regarding image rights.
An AI has even won an art competition.
Moran himself stated in a comment 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 shares a similar view:
The AI that artists are afraid of makes me happy
The cover image serves as a symbolic image.
