Battle of the Brushes: AI vs. Artists
On June 26, 2024, Instagram allowed Meta AI to train on artists' posts. Creatives saw it for what it was: scraping work without consent and calling it progress. A year later, "AI slop" floods feeds, videos, and even music platforms. The worst part? Opting out is confusing, slow, and designed to wear you down.
What changed on Instagram
There's no simple switch to keep your work out of Meta's models. You can try to decline AI extraction in settings, but your request goes into a review queue-odd for something that should be a basic preference. Making your account private hurts discoverability, and deleting posts doesn't guarantee protection.
According to True Grit, content that once existed may still be used by AI even after you remove it. Artists also tried posting "copyright ownership" declarations on their feeds, but those don't override the terms you accepted to use the app. Creative Bloq has covered that pushback in detail.
Where creatives are moving
Many artists are shifting to platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, or Cara. Cara bans AI-generated posts and employs AI detection, which gives artists a cleaner signal to share work and build community. That sense of safety matters when the default elsewhere is extraction-by-default.
Keep your work human-and visible
Local shows are becoming a crucial counter move. In places like Union City and countless neighborhoods just like it, in-person exhibits keep real art in front of real people. No algorithm, no scraping-just your work, your story, and a community that cares.
Jobs: what's actually changing
We haven't seen design jobs vanish en masse yet, but expectations have shifted. Some roles now ask designers to plug GenAI into their process, which can reduce you to a picker of AI-generated options. That strips the craft from the craft.
There's a better middle ground. In some university courses, students are taught to use AI for brainstorming-then create the visuals themselves. That approach keeps the mind sharp and the work yours.
Practical moves for working creatives
- Request the AI opt-out in Instagram settings (even if it's clunky). Document your request with screenshots.
- Build a presence on platforms that restrict AI-generated content, and link your audience there.
- Prioritize in-person exposure: apply to local shows, pop-ups, and galleries; collect emails; sell direct.
- Use AI only for idea prompts if you must-keep final visuals human-made to preserve your style and voice.
- Advocate for stronger copyright protections online and in your city. Collective pressure works.
The ethical line
Artists have a valid fear: companies replacing paid roles with machine-made filler. Generative systems remix human labor, then sell it back as content-without the context, care, or lived experience that give art its soul.
Writers feel the same pressure. As the LA Times argued, unrestrained AI leans toward what's common and crude in history, not what's humane or new. Authentic work is still the antidote.
What you can do this week
- Audit your socials: submit the opt-out, prune what you must, and direct followers to safer platforms.
- Apply to two local shows or markets. Set dates, commit, and show up.
- Share process posts: sketches, studies, behind-the-scenes. Educate your audience on why it matters.
- Buy from artists, visit galleries and bookstores, and recommend them loudly.
- Email your representatives about stronger digital copyright. Keep it short and specific.
AI can mimic patterns. It can't live your life. Keep making the work only you can make-then get it in front of people who value the real thing. And please, don't use AI to generate art.
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