Studies focused on the “artistic” aspects of generative AI reveal negative bias, and a preference for human creations. None of these studies, however, account for the multimodality of comic books: text and image. Is a human-written story a mitigating factor for readers? Is it feasible for writers to become “AI comic book artists" or will consumers drive AI imagery out of the market altogether? Given the multitude of information making it difficult to discern how comic book consumers perceive AI imagery, the following provides first-person research by generating an AI comic and conducting a survey on unsuspecting comic book customers.
Generative AI Text-to-Image: Artist, Audience and the Comic Book Industry
As little as ten years ago, the capabilities of image generators were mere fantasy. Now, images can be made in seconds or minutes and children’s books can be generated in an hour, but how will this impact an industry where the art is at the forefront of consumers' minds? Comics, whether they be digital or print, have been heavily dependent on individual or small groups of artists to weave together stories. The ease of using AI to replicate that work may not be simple.