Breweries are pushing AI art. Newcastle pubs just pushed back.
Two Newcastle pubs - The Mean Eyed Cat and the Free Trade Inn - have banned AI-generated artwork on pump clips and bottle labels. The goal: stop breweries from swapping paid creative work for what one publican called "polished, perfect, and a bit soulless."
Their stance struck a nerve. The announcement became one of their most-viewed posts, and sparked a blunt question for the industry: if beer branding goes AI-first, where does that leave the artists who built the scene?
What sparked the ban
Simon Hubbard at The Mean Eyed Cat noticed a wave of what he calls "AI slop" from bigger, older breweries - the kind where the hands look off and the gloss looks fake. After comparing notes with the Free Trade Inn, they drew a line and said no to AI artwork in their venues.
Hubbard's take is simple: you can't protect local culture while outsourcing its face to machines. If the art disappears, the gigs disappear. And the pubs don't want to be the reason local artists lose work.
Why artists are pushing back
Illustrator Drew Millward, who's worked with breweries worldwide, says the threat is real. AI models are trained on massive scrapes of human-made images - a practice many artists argue amounts to unlicensed copying.
Millward hasn't seen his own work fed back at him yet, but peers have. His words cut through: call it what it is - stolen artwork.
Hope, even if AI gets "better"
Lettering artist Ashley Willerton has spent a decade crafting identities for pubs and venues. He's seeing more AI in the wild, but he's not conceding the market. Good clients still choose original work even when cheaper shortcuts exist.
His point: technical polish isn't the same as meaning. People buy story, process, and trust - not just pixels.
Brand, community, and the cost of cutting corners
Donzoko Brewery's founder, Reece Hugill, hires local artists because it keeps money and culture in the area. Replacing a designer with a chatbot doesn't just cheapen the label - it drains value from the scene.
He raises a sharper question for buyers: if a brewery is fine cutting corners on the art you see, where else are they doing it?
For creatives: a practical playbook to keep (and win) the work
- Make "human-made" a feature: show your sketch-to-finish process. Short reels, proofs, and behind-the-scenes turn "art" into brand capital.
- Contract clearly: add clauses that require disclosure if AI tools are used anywhere in the pipeline, and set usage rights based on that.
- Offer tiers: quick-turn template packs for tight budgets, premium custom for flagship releases. Capture both ends before AI does.
- Package for breweries: seasonal label bundles, tap badge systems, launch assets, and social templates. Sell systems, not one-offs.
- Provenance matters: add content credentials or visible maker's marks so clients can signal authenticity. See C2PA content credentials.
- Educate clients: AI may be cheaper short term, but local art deepens community ties and brand loyalty - especially in indie beer.
- Build alliances: align with venues that pledge "no AI art" to keep budgets flowing to real designers and illustrators.
- License smart: sell time-bound licenses with renewal options. If a label becomes a staple, you share in the upside.
- Defend your catalog: monitor for clones and prepare a takedown workflow. Know the UK guidance on AI and copyright.
What this means for indie beer branding
This isn't an anti-tech crusade. It's a pro-craft line in the sand. Pubs and breweries that value community are signaling: your hands, your taste, your process still matter.
The play is clear for creatives: be visible, productize your value, and make authenticity easy for venues to choose. If the work tells a story people can feel, it wins.
Skill up without selling out
If you want to understand AI's place in your workflow - and where to draw your own lines - start here: AI for Creatives.
The shift already started
Since the Newcastle announcement, more people are paying attention. If even a few breweries rethink their approach, that's momentum.
The bet from the ground is simple: good art will prevail - because communities choose it.
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