We have artists and writers who are close personal friends and, as creatives, are firm believers in supporting other creatives. Part of what makes our games look so good is the art created for us by talented artists. And one of the things that makes our RPGs so fun is the talented writers and editors we work with.
First printings of our game Transformation do include AI-generated backgrounds on some pages. We had planned from the start to feature art by real human artists. At the time, we also thought that using AI-generated art as background textures on some pages would be interesting, as the technology produced a very surrealistic and often grotesque look. This seemed a perfect fit for a game with themes of monstrous transformation. After we had sent the first print run of Transformation to backers, we had long conversations with several artists we know and did further research into the technology, and realized how fast it had progressed and how dangerous it was becoming.
While we know that AI is a tool unlikely to disappear anytime soon, the ethics of generative AI make it one we have no interest in using. AI art is problematic in how it samples copyrighted material to train its algorithms without the consent of artists, photographers, or subjects. As well as authors, and more recently through the destruction of books to feed the ever-growing needs of AI software to expand its knowledge base. While there is debate about how the technology “learns” from these sources, based on our understanding, we believe it is harming artists and essentially stealing from their work.
Again, we will not use generative AI in any of our publications, in any form. Additionally, we will be more transparent about any new technologies we are experimenting with, so that you, our supporters, can weigh in on the discussion and let us know about any issues we may not be aware of. We believe that transparency is essential to successful crowdfunding and to our business. As a company, we are committed to continually improving our transparency and communication with our community.
First printings of our game Transformation do include AI-generated backgrounds on some pages. We had planned from the start to feature art by real human artists. At the time, we also thought that using AI-generated art as background textures on some pages would be interesting, as the technology produced a very surrealistic and often grotesque look. This seemed a perfect fit for a game with themes of monstrous transformation. After we had sent the first print run of Transformation to backers, we had long conversations with several artists we know and did further research into the technology, and realized how fast it had progressed and how dangerous it was becoming.
While we know that AI is a tool unlikely to disappear anytime soon, the ethics of generative AI make it one we have no interest in using. AI art is problematic in how it samples copyrighted material to train its algorithms without the consent of artists, photographers, or subjects. As well as authors, and more recently through the destruction of books to feed the ever-growing needs of AI software to expand its knowledge base. While there is debate about how the technology “learns” from these sources, based on our understanding, we believe it is harming artists and essentially stealing from their work.
Again, we will not use generative AI in any of our publications, in any form. Additionally, we will be more transparent about any new technologies we are experimenting with, so that you, our supporters, can weigh in on the discussion and let us know about any issues we may not be aware of. We believe that transparency is essential to successful crowdfunding and to our business. As a company, we are committed to continually improving our transparency and communication with our community.
We thank you for your patience and support as we all learn and grow together in this ever-changing technological landscape.
-Absurdist Productions
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