'It's not art': Shetland creatives push back on AI posters and profile pics
AI-made images are everywhere right now - from "look what I do for work" portraits to event posters for club nights and even Up Helly Aa. For three Shetland artists - Leanne Spence, Chloe Keppie, and Dirk Robertson - the verdict is clear: this isn't art, and it's not helping the craft.
Yes, it's fast and it's free. But they're calling out the tradeoffs: copied styles, murky data use, and a big environmental tab.
What creatives are seeing day to day
Chloe, a graphic designer in Glasgow, says clients now show up with AI mockups and ask for instant turnarounds. "People almost want things yesterday now…they'll mock things up with AI and ask you 'can you do something with this'." The result is a speed trap - faster briefs, less time for real design.
Music clients are feeling the squeeze too. AI tracks are seeping into streaming playlists, confusing listeners and crowding out human work.
Why they're resisting
Leanne pushed back with a hand-drawn self-portrait featuring items from her job as a learning support worker - a direct antidote to the latest AI profile trend. Her issue isn't tech itself; it's the casual use that flattens creativity and teaches people to expect art in seconds.
She's also uneasy about prompts like "use everything you know about me." Where does that data go? And what's the environmental cost? Even major outlets report AI has a heavy footprint due to energy-hungry data centers and water used for cooling. This overview from Nature is a useful primer.
Dirk is blunt: "AI generated images are not art. It's dumb. It's meaningless. It makes rich people richer. It steals from artists…Don't use it." The message lands because it's simple - you didn't make it, so don't claim it.
Where AI fits (and where it doesn't)
Chloe isn't anti-tech. She's seen smart uses in animation pipelines. But she draws a hard line on artwork and image creation: the joy is in making, not in typing a command and calling it done. Clients still want something that feels human.
Leanne is firmer: AI has no place in art. It devalues learned skills and pushes down rates by flooding feeds with instant, "good enough" images.
And yes - Chloe's Love Shack-influenced poster for Hounds of Love 2026 was created by hand. The point isn't nostalgia; it's authorship.
Practical moves for creatives right now
- Set expectations early: AI mockups can be reference, not direction. Put timelines and revision limits in writing.
- Price for speed: if a client wants "yesterday," add a rush fee. Don't subsidize AI-fueled urgency.
- Add a data clause: no feeding client assets into public models; no third-party uploads without written consent.
- Protect your style: use clear "no AI training" terms in licenses. Add opt-out metadata and watermarks where useful.
- Credit the process: include a short note on how work was made. Clients and fans value provenance.
- Address ethics simply: "We create original work. No AI-generated imagery in deliverables" - put it on your site and invoices.
- Use AI only where it serves you (e.g., motion clean-up, file prep), not where it replaces your eye and hand.
- Build community: share hand-made challenges, critique nights, and collective statements. Collective norms beat solo rants.
If you want structured ways to defend your craft or use AI on your terms, explore AI for Creatives.
The bottom line
AI is everywhere. Your edge is taste, process, and the story behind the work. Hold the line where it matters, experiment only where it helps, and don't outsource the part that makes you an artist.
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