Artist Molly Crabapple discovered in 2022 that artificial intelligence companies had scraped her distinctive illustrations from the internet without permission, including her drawings of the Aleppo skyline and portraits of protesters. When she entered her name into AI programs like DALL-E, DreamStudio, and Stable Diffusion, these systems generated crude imitations of her artwork depicting the war-torn Syrian city.
"It's not a good knockoff," Crabapple told Hyperallergic. "The ultimate goal is never to be as good as the art – the goal is to be good enough to get on the page, get the consumer to use it, and get rid of the worker." Her experience highlights a growing concern among artists who say AI companies are stealing copyrighted creative works to train their image-generating models.
AI programs have now become deeply embedded in internet infrastructure, answering search queries with summaries taken from other websites, writing essays for students, and even serving as virtual therapists. Critics argue these systems are destroying artists' livelihoods while weakening human creativity and critical thinking skills by making such abilities seem unnecessary.
Tech industry leaders in Silicon Valley predict AI will soon dominate daily life, potentially eliminating half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and pushing unemployment rates to 10-20% within five years. However, some artists believe the widespread adoption of machine learning technology is not inevitable and can still be stopped through organized resistance.
Crabapple recently led a workshop in New York's Lower East Side alongside tech editor Edward Ongweso Jr. and the Democratic Socialists of America Tech Action Working Group. The event, titled "Artists Against the Slop Beast: How AI is destroying creative work and how to fight back!" argued that companies seeking massive profits from AI are imposing these technologies on an unsuspecting public without fully disclosing their harmful effects.
The impact on creative industries is already visible, according to Crabapple. Several illustrators in her network have struggled to find work as companies increasingly use AI-generated images instead of hiring human artists or photographers to reduce costs. In 2023, she authored an open letter urging publishers, editors, and journalists to reject generative AI programs, which has gathered more than 4,000 signatures.
"When AI founders use billions of images to train their programs, the only way they do that is through the profound hatred of the humanities," Crabapple explained during her presentation. "The contempt for labor and effort and all that stuff that makes us human, for Silicon Valley is nothing but an impediment and a friction."
Despite growing criticism, many companies continue using AI for editing articles, analyzing data, and drafting summaries of sporting events or stock market performance. Some organizations have become so dependent on these technologies that they have used AI implementation as justification for laying off human workers.
The Trump administration has embraced AI technology while maintaining close relationships with Silicon Valley executives and resisting regulatory measures for AI companies. The administration has used AI-generated content for political messaging, including memes targeting Black voters and materials supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation efforts.
Crabapple and Ongweso advocate for grassroots resistance through organizational policies. They recommend that people encourage any groups they belong to, regardless of size, to establish rules prohibiting AI use for tasks like writing statements, creating social media images, or developing marketing campaigns.
Public shaming represents another effective strategy, according to Crabapple. When companies use AI-generated graphics in their marketing materials, she suggests employing a time-tested internet tactic: publicly criticizing them online. "Tell them it looks uncool," she advised. "I've seen companies back down." This approach leverages social pressure to discourage AI adoption by making it appear unfashionable or ethically questionable.
