It’s understandable that people are angry as many now dismiss original creativity and stop hiring real artists, instead embracing generative AI. These massive plagiarism machines freely appropriate the hard work of countless creators without credit or compensation, exacerbate environmental impacts, and make the required computing resources inaccessible to most. This trend is certainly undesirable. However, it is equally unacceptable to casually and baselessly accuse others of using AI, especially when the accused are themselves victims of AI plagiarism. Artist Loish (Louise van Baarle, whose work appears in Horizon Zero Dawn) recently experienced this firsthand, and she is far from alone. Such accusations can be extremely damaging.
Loish posted on Instagram, detailing how she was recently accused on TikTok of using generative AI for her artwork. This incident made her realize just how thoughtless such baseless accusations often are. The artist, who spends considerable time teaching and creating learning resources for fellow creators, shared a video explaining step by step how skeptics could have easily verified that the piece was her original, hand-drawn work. For starters, her profile already includes a video documenting the creation process, proving the painting was completed in 2023, when generative AI was only just beginning to emerge.
Moreover, she has been creating and publishing her work since 2003, consistently sharing the evolution of her artistic style with care. She openly reveals her creative process without reservation, providing detailed and highly valuable content. In other words, among all creators, it is utterly absurd to single her out as a target for such accusations.
“It’s a tough time for creators,” Loish wrote in her post. “We’re forced to compete with low-quality AI content driven by social media algorithms and the broader creative industry, while our own works are continuously fed into these machines without authorization. What’s even more outrageous now is that even when we document our entire creative process, we’re still accused of using AI.”
Loish further pointed out that those AI machines churning out garbage wouldn’t be able to generate anything at all if they hadn’t been trained on the works of countless creators like herself. “Now our original creations are being drowned out and overshadowed by this content,” she added.
In my industry, we must remain constantly alert to the gaming sector’s tendency to replace human creativity with shoddy AI-generated content, so I understand well how critical rigorous scrutiny is. Often, the traces of AI generation are quite obvious, but as the technology becomes increasingly deceptive, it grows better at packaging others’ collective efforts as its own achievements. To protect creators, we must carefully verify facts and never tolerate the misuse of AI. At the same time, however, we must not overcorrect by making unfounded accusations against hardworking artists. Such thoughtless false allegations can cause irreparable damage to a creator’s career. Loish’s final summary hits the nail on the head:
In today's world, genuine human connections are more important than ever. That’s precisely why we need to hone our ability to discern whether a piece of work was created by a real person. Don’t just linger in the comments section—visit their profile, watch their process videos, and learn to recognize the telltale signs of AI-generated imagery. This is especially crucial for the younger generation, who have grown up surrounded by so much AI content; stay vigilant. Remember, our humanity is our most precious essence!
Loish’s artwork is deeply compelling, and spending an hour browsing her Instagram, DeviantArt, and personal website is absolutely worth it. Her Patreon account also offers full tutorials that break down her entire creative process in detail, packed with valuable insights.