Position on AI-Generated Art

Hello all,

I wanted to create a post to make clear my position on AI-Generated Art used for Purpose.

For those not aware, the plan for the updated version of Purpose featuring the Visual-Novel style redesign was to use character and UI artwork from the fantastic DesDarkDesigns, and then use AI-Generated artwork (specifically from NovelAI) for background images and other miscellaneous images/artwork.

I made this decision purely in the interest of cost saving; as these additional images wouldn't be front and center, I was attempting to "save a buck" by using a cheap subscription service to generate these images, instead of paying an artist, which obviously would have provided much high-quality work, but would also come with a much higher price tag.

In the last 24 hours, I have become aware of the ethical and legal issues surrounding AI-Generated art. Prior to this, I was not aware of any issues with AI-Generated art, admittedly because I did not look very hard; for me, this is a personal lesson in conducting proper research into a product or service before using it. I won't try to explain all the issues, rather I will link this video, which I believe covers the subject matter well:

With this in mind, I will be removing all the AI-Generated artwork from Purpose by the end of the week. I have also canceled my subscription to NovelAI effective immediately.

I am looking forward to posting more updates soon.

- Christopher M.