Fan Conventions Are Drawing The Line On AI ‘Slop’

Last weekend, an exhibitor in the artists alley of Atlanta’s Dragon Con was escorted off the show floor by police for violating the show’s policy against selling AI-generated work. It was the latest and most visible example of creators and creator-oriented events stigmatizing the use of tools that the tech world has bet the future on. In the wake of Dragon Con’s actions, several other large fan conventions have clarified or underlined their policies protecting the role of human artists.

According to an account from Dane Ault, an exhibitor at Dragon Con, a booth registered to Oriana Gertz Art had been accused of selling AI-generated prints at their booth in Artist Alley. Vendors and fans complained to organizers. On the final day of the show, after failing to produce convincing evidence that the work was made by humans, the occupants of the booth were evicted by Atlanta police. A sign was placed on the empty table stating “Vendor removed for selling AI,” and the table became a rallying point for fans.

Shortly after news of the incident spread, several other fan conventions and promoters clarified their policies on AI art. GalaxyCon, which runs a portfolio of mid-sized comics, horror, animation and pop culture conventions in North America, issued a “sweeping AI art ban,” effective immediately.

“The way artificial intelligence is currently being trained presents many ethical and moral issues that simply can no longer be ignored in our industry,” said Mike Broder, Founder and President of GalaxyCon. “GalaxyCon has a long, proud history of supporting artists and their creativity, and we will continue to do so as the fight against unethical AI continues.”

ReedPOP, the branch of Reed Exhibitions that runs New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, PAX and other shows in the US and UK, specifies in its artist application form that “the sale of material or artwork produced by tracing or use of artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited.” The ban also extends to work for sale anywhere on the exhibit floor, according to a ReedPOP spokesperson.

The big anime shows like Anime NYC, Crunchyroll Expo, and Anime Los Angeles (formerly Anime Expo) also have bans in place. Comic-Con International, the organization that runs San Diego Comic-Con and Wonder Con, has no documented policy on AI art on the exhibit floor and did not respond immediately to inquiries regarding its stance.

Creative industries like comics, illustration, animation and videogame design – all of which are well-represented at fan conventions like Dragon Con – have been struggling with the onslaught of generative AI tools like Dall-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, which can produce compelling imagery using prompts or loose sketches. While some artists see these as tools that can boost their productivity, others point out the ethical, environmental and economic issues and argue that even in best case, the output of these systems are soulless, derivative and technically flawed compared with the work of humans.

For artists working in these fields, the sales at big conventions represent a significant source of revenue. Human artists resent having to compete with vendors selling AI-created work, and fans have largely sided with them. Creators found to be using AI are called out online and stigmatized, especially if the technology is found to give them an edge in contests or commercial projects. A Facebook group called Artists Against Generative AI, which is a hotbed of activism in the community, boasts nearly 170,000 members.

“Banning AI art from artist alleys is essential to protect the integrity of these spaces,” said Jose Villarubia, a professional color artist and art educator. “An artist alley is meant to be a place where attendees can connect directly with creators, supporting their unique vision, skill, and effort. When AI-generated images are sold alongside genuine art, they are replacing artists in their own space, and it hurts the credibility of the entire event. Bans on AI send a clear message that the convention does not support its use. I only wish that more publishers and figurative fine art galleries would do the same.”