Художники-карикатуристы опасаются за будущее профессии из-за внедрения ИИ в СМИ

Cartoonists fear for future of industry with rise of AI-generated illustrations In short: Cartoonists have raised concerns about the future of their industry amid the rise of AI-generated imagery. It comes after an AI-generated illustration was published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Wednesday. What's next? Experts say the technology itself is not a problem, but have called for transparency from organisations on their policies. Cartoonists say they are worried about the future of their craft, as media companies continue to grapple with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their industry. On Wednesday, the Herald Sun newspaper published an AI-generated illustration alongside an article about Victorian Premier Ben Carroll. The illustration, which was clearly marked by the publisher as being AI generated, depicted Mr Carroll with a pirate's leg scraping barnacles off a ship decorated with former Labor premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews. The ABC understands News Corp has been using AI-generated illustrations for about two years. The move has left some cartoonists concerned for what they say is a shrinking industry. Cartoonist Fiona Katauskas said seeing the spread of AI illustrations on social media and in newspapers felt like a "punch in the gut". "There's sadness because just as a cartoonist and an illustrator, it is AI taking someone's job," she said. "But also, they're just ugly … it's very easy to spot an AI illustrational cartoon because they've all got the same style." The Herald Sun and News Corp have been contacted for comment. The company's code of conduct requires any image altered by digital tools, including AI, to be labelled as being digitally altered or similar. It also states that the "same editorial rigour and standards" be applied to content that is sourced from AI technology, including images and graphics. "Content from AI technology cannot be published on any platform including social media without being first reviewed and approved by an editor or relevant editorial manager," the policy reads. 'Damaging' for industry, cartoonist association says Katauskas said she had seen more Australian newspapers using AI to create illustrations over the past year, which she believed most people had not noticed. "This is happening at a time when the media is collapsing and has less money," she said. "So the fear is that it'll just be easier for editors to fill a space and hope that the vast majority of people don't notice." Katauskas, who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, said it had changed a lot during that time. "Cartooning as an industry has been shrinking dramatically for years now," she said. She said she was recently told her contract with the Guardian Australia would not be renewed, meaning she would be working as a freelance cartoonist from next week. "Cartooning is a wonderful, centuries-old art … and I would just love it to be kept alive," Katauskas said. The Guardian has been contacted for comment. Deputy president of the Australian Cartoonists Association, David Blumenstein, recently published a book about the infiltration of AI in the world of illustrations. He said while it was disappointing to see newspapers use AI-generated illustrations, it wasn't surprising. "I think it's damaging for the cartooning and illustration industry, obviously," "It's been growing pretty steadily since these [AI] platforms that were free to the public sort of popped up back in 2022 or thereabouts. "The thing that frightened me the most ultimately, was that perhaps the people who hire us … maybe they don't care about the ethics." Media implementing AI tools, developing policies University of Melbourne academic Jeff Sparrow said the use of AI was a complex issue. "I think that we are likely to see AI used as the pretext for a lot of job shedding," Dr Sparrow, a senior lecturer at university's Centre for Advancing Journalism, said. "It's really important that the unions in the media industry take this on as a serious issue and make a concerted effort to protect people's jobs and to promote their interests." Many media companies in Australia have started implementing AI tools, including the ABC, which has recently launched an AI writing trial to create digital news articles based on radio bulletins. The ABC also updated its AI guidelines earlier this year. The organisation's previous principles on AI said it would inform audiences about how it was using AI technologies. The current version says the ABC will be open with audiences when AI use "could materially affect their understanding" of content. An ABC spokesperson declined to comment for this story but pointed to an internal email sent by acting news director Donna Field last month. "AI only assists us with journalism and creating content," she said in the email dated July 9. "It supports but does not replace editorial thinking and decision-making. "People will always be involved in production, with human oversight at every crucial step when AI is employed." The ABC also contacted Nine Publishing, which publishes mastheads including The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, as part of this story. Nine's AI guidelines state that "AI will not be used to generate photo-realistic images or illustrations for publication, except in cases where the AI-generated nature of the image is the point of the story". The policy adds that AI can be used to create graphics with editor approval. Transparency needed as industry moves forward: academic Mr Blumenstein said the technology was not the issue. "Technology is always interesting and technology can be used to help artists and used to help people in a way that is ethical," he said. "But so much of this stuff is totally unethical." Dr Sparrow said it was why journalists and the community needed "to start demanding for transparency in the use of AI". "We need to know what the policies of the various outlets are, the kinds of platforms they're using and the circumstances in which they're using [them]," he said. The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) said editorial cartoons were an important part of Australia's media landscape and contribute to political commentary, satire and public debate. "Editorial cartooning is a skilled and specialised profession that requires artistic ability, political understanding and journalistic judgement," a spokesperson said. The peak union body for creative professionals said just like any form of journalism, professional cartooning needed to be accountable to the Journalist Code of Ethics. "This code calls on journalists to inform citizens and animate democracy; to scrutinise power but also exercise it; to be responsible and accountable," the spokesperson said. "It requires complex and critical thinking and accountability, which cannot be automated." It was also concerned skills required for cartooning would be devalued as AI becomes more widely used. "The long-term success of Australia's media industry depends on supporting sustainable, skilled jobs that foster creativity, uphold quality journalism and contribute to the nation's cultural and economic future." Katauskas said there were important elements in the creative industry that AI could not replace. "Whether it's reading books or writing or whatever, the journey and the process is what makes it … it's not just about the result," she said. "This is the thing that really bothers me about AI, that jumping straight to the finish line rather than appreciating the process, which I think is what art in general is all about."