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A hot potato: Despite a lot of public opinion being against the use of generative AI and companies force-feeding the tech into our mouths, most firms believe not embracing it is commercial suicide. However, the widely used iPad design app Procreate is taking an opposing stance: not only has it vowed never to add generative AI features to its products, but CEO James Cuda has also announced that "I really fuc**ng hate generative AI."
The use of generative AI to create images and art has drawn the ire of artists angry that their work is being used to train the systems without their knowledge, consent, or accreditation. The fact they don't get paid for enabling something that could put them out of a job isn't lost on them, either.
Virtually every tech company is pouring resources into generative AI, even though we've seen huge public pushback, such as when Wizards of the Coast unintentionally featured it in Magic: The Gathering promo art and D&D book. There was also outcry when it was discovered that the studio behind Disney+ Marvel show Secret Invasion had used AI-generated content for its opening sequence.
Procreate, however, isn't a fan of the technology. In a post on its website titled 'AI is not our future,' the company states that "creativity is made, not generated."
"Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future," Procreate writes. "We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us."
The company goes on to say that it is not chasing a technology that poses a threat to human creativity, and while doing so might put it at risk of being left behind, "we see this road less traveled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community."
Procreate CEO Cuda didn't pull any punches in a video posted to the company's X profile. "I really f***ing hate generative AI," Cuda said. "I don't like what's happening in the industry and I don't like what it's doing to artists. We're not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products."
We're never going there. Creativity is made, not generated.
– Procreate (@Procreate) August 18, 2024
You can read more at https://t.co/9Fgh460KVu ⨠#procreate #noaiart pic.twitter.com/AnLVPgWzl3
Artists have been quick to applaud Procreate's stance against GenAI, especially in light of Adobe's use of the tech, which resulted in a backlash over fears it was using user content to train its systems. Adobe later clarified that this wasn't the case.
– Bilawal Sidhu (@bilawalsidhu) August 19, 2024Bold move by Procreate – they're passing on Gen AI altogether.
Procreate users are generally younger artists who spent years learning digital art on an iPad – and they do *not* like AI.
Meanwhile Adobe's tight rope walk seems to be polarizing their customers, so Procreate… https://t.co/OhndVAENmN
Referencing the Adobe incident, Procreate emphasized that it does not have access to users' art, by design, nor does it track user activity. And unlike Adobe and many other apps, it charges a single $12.99 purchase price rather than a never-ending subscription cost.