The latest AI trend has people creating and sharing action figure versions of themselves, complete with personalized accessories. However, not everyone is using AI to join in on the fun. Some artists and companies are choosing to support human illustrators instead.
Trixie Cosmetics, a makeup brand owned by drag queen Trixie Mattel, deliberately waited to participate in the trend so they could commission an illustrator rather than using AI-generated images. Graphic designer Joey Donatelli was behind the Trixie Cosmetics action figure, and their illustration was met with enthusiasm from fans.
“Love this so much more than anything AI could have made,” wrote YouTuber Tyler Oakley on X. Donatelli believes that people are starting to appreciate human-created art more as they become aware of the implications of AI-generated content.
Recent illustration graduate Emily T. from Sheridan College in Ontario also created her own version of the action figure trend, posting a video detailing her process. She hopes to show the value of human creativity in art.
“I wish people would consider the thought and care artists put into all their work,” Emily says. “AI completely eliminates all these possibilities, sucking the humanity out of art altogether.”
Illustrator Valeria Herrera understands why people might be drawn to AI-generated art, but she’s not convinced. “People are using AI… to be creative,” Herrera says. “They just don’t want to take the time to do it themselves.”
One of the main concerns artists have with AI image generators is the lack of transparency about their training data. This raises issues about copyright, fairness, and compensation for artists whose work may have been used to train these models.
As AI continues to develop, it remains to be seen whether human artists can stand out in a market where AI-generated content is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, for now, many are choosing to support real art over AI slop.
