I’ve been following Yuumei (Wenqing Yan) on deviant art since I was 13 years old (I’m in my 30s now). I know how people feel about AI art, and I agree that it’s a fucking slap in the face and more for artists, BUT Yuumei’s talent is very, very real. She’s not an AI artist. She’s an artist that was testing out some AI shit. And for fuck’s sake, she has been making speed paint videos of her work for almost two decades now. She’s been on deviant art since 2003. Hell, deviant art gave Yuumei the spotlight countless times as one of the most notable artists on the platform. Like are you fucking kidding me?
You’re not going to come for one of my favorite artists who inspired me to try art as well when I fucking remember when she was using the SAI paint tool and very old school photoshop, watched her speed paint videos frequently, remember when she posted her pieces about environmentalism and air pollution in China, and WHEN I MET HER MYSELF AT SAKURA CON, BOUGHT THREE OF HER PRINTS, AND ASKED HER TO SIGN THEM. You’re more than welcome to go to her FB links below and watch the 10 HOUR painting process of one of her most recent pieces where she’s been accused of using AI if you’re up for it. Let’s see if you have the patience.
Attacking talented artists doesn’t fucking help the AI art issue, and y’all are really going after the wrong artist. I’ll fight you before the AI take over or whatever we’re expecting with this fear mongering tech bullshit. Just don’t come for Yuumei. Thanks.
I would also like to point out that there was a time when digital art wasn’t considered “real art” because “painting on the computer makes it too easy and people weren’t learning true painting techniques”. There was a time when video games and CGI in movies wasn’t considered “real art” for similar reasons. There were as a time artists weren’t “real artists” unless they went to art school AND were successful directly after attending.
AI is a different monster seen as both a tool and an act of theft. Some consider it progression in tech, but most of us are afraid it’s going to bulldoze over all human capability. Regardless about how you feel about AI art, the most productive thing you can do is support artists and also accept that there are going to be artists who are going to explore other tools, including AI, to experiment with their work or in the worst case experiment with the work of other artists. You can’t control that by joining the anti-AI mob and then attacking artists and their original work blindly. You can take your stance with enough critical thinking to realize the only thing you can control is your response. Can you please respond to Yuumei by acknowledging her true, authentic talent instead of erasing her whole legacy over a few posts she made about AI?
Because the real issue with AI art is the theft, plagiarism, copying/tracing, and the like. As a tool that increases productivity and efficiency, that topic is still debatable since the risk of theft is still evident in this regard too. Attend to the ethics of AI without being an asshole towards artists. Artists are not artificial.
