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Artist's 'heartbreak' over AI generated images

Chris Craddock
BBC Jersey communities reporter
BBC Abi looks at the camera as she sits on a grey sofa as she wears blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She has dark brown hair with lighter ends which comes just past her shoulders. She is sitting next to a cushion with black and white print pillow.BBC
Abi Overland believes images generated by artificial intelligence are damaging the creative sector

A Jersey artist says it is "heartbreaking" to witness the impact images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are having on the island's creative sector.

Abi Overland has spoken out on the issue on social media after seeing people share images as part of online trends.

She is concerned how the technology could infringe on copyright, stop creatives from getting work and what it could mean for those looking to enter the industry.

Her warning comes as The House of Lords dealt a second defeat to the UK government over its Data (Use and Access) Bill, demanding more protection from AI for artists and musicians.

Abi leads over a drawing pad with a pen as she focuses on her work
Abi Overland says sometimes her hand-drawn illustrations take years to complete compared to the speed of AI

Ms Overland said she wanted to raise the issue so more people knew the impact of sharing AI generated images.

She said: "I find it really concerning the normalisation of it and everything AI pushes out has been trained on the work of other artists."

Ms Overland added: "This is our livelihoods, this is our joy so why would we want to take away the human connection of art to save some money."

Jamie Willow Jamie leans over a sculpture she is working on which has stones and a tower on it. She is wearing a blue plaid shirt with a black top under it. She has strawberry blond hair tied into a ponytail.Jamie Willow
Jamie Willow from Drawn by Jamie is worried artists are already losing work to AI

Artist and illustrator Jamie Willow said she had seen a rise in local companies in Jersey using AI generated images.

She said illustrating was a skill people like her had "spent years harnessing" and their work "translates ideas into images with heart".

Ms Willow added: "I hope audiences will begin to prize authentic, morally produced content above the cheap, quick and easy AI "art" which is trending online."

Sebastian looks at the camera as he wears a navy blue gillet and a white shirt. He has short hair with sunglasses on the top of his head. Behind him is a conference table and chairs and on the wall there is a white board with artwork on it.
Sebastian Lawson from Digital Jersey says artists can take advantage of AI

But some have argued that AI generated images can help those working in the creative industry.

Sebastian Lawson, head of innovation at Digital Jersey, said he hoped people would use new technology to improve their output.

He said artists could "still create better images than you or I could create because they've got that creative insight".

He added: "Across the board, you're seeing image generation is becoming quite powerful and useful."

A UK government spokesperson said it wanted the creative industries and AI companies to "flourish, which is why we're consulting on a package of measures that we hope will work for both sectors".

They added "no changes" to copyright laws would be "considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators".

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