Should Creative Teams Use AI? The Artist vs. AI Dilemma

The impact that generative AI is having on digital artists and online creative spaces has become one of the most controversial and polarizing consequences of artificial intelligence use in our time. On the one hand, artists are expressing legitimate grievances, and AI’s long-term impact is still uncertain.

On the other, it would be unwise for creative teams to pass up on the opportunities that integrating AI tools into their workflows may bring. Read on to understand why artists are speaking out against AI, why careful adoption is prudent, and how to reap the benefits while maintaining your integrity.

Why Is There a Backlash Against AI in Art?

Developing generative AI models isn’t possible without almost unimaginable quantities of data. The fastest way to obtain such data is to scrape popular online communities like Artstation, Deviantart, Instagram, and Behance for original artworks created by human artists.

The problem is that these companies don’t acknowledge the art as the authors’ intellectual property and are using it as training data without consent or compensation. In fact, some websites make this the default, forcing uploaders to opt in to exclusion rather than this being the norm.

Unsurprisingly, artists who have spent countless hours learning and refining their craft are not happy. IP theft is their most actionable complaint, but not the only one. Rather than democratizing art as AI’s proponents claim, the widespread availability of generative tools has led to an overabundance of low-quality content dubbed “AI slop” that’s flooding the internet.

The negative reaction has been vocal, from countless social media posts, petitions, and YouTube videos that explain and condemn generative AI to the development of tools that actively poison the models themselves.

What are the Consequences of Careless Overreliance on AI when Creating Art?

Despite their astonishing growth, generative AI tools still fundamentally put out an amalgam of their inputs. The result represents an average that looks appealing at first glance. However, a bit of scrutiny reveals it’s often still nonsensical, imperfect, or outright bland. This might not be a problem for hobbyists or individual users, but careless professional use of generative AI, without AI guardrails, risks reputational damage to your company.

Widespread negative reaction to Coca-Cola’s AI-generated 2025 Christmas commercial is a recent and multifaceted example that reveals video generation’s limitations. The commercial was stitched together from dozens of short clips. No two feature the same subjects since the generative AI models can’t ensure their consistency yet.

Moreover, adopters are pushing the narrative that it’s cheaper and less labor-intensive. Yet, Coke’s commercial took 100 staff and 70,000 rejected clips to complete. That’s without accounting for the undisclosed amount spent on it, not to mention the environmental impact.

Both misused AI assets and the negative reactions they produce are becoming a trend. Video game publisher Activision was criticized for fake video game ads. Meanwhile, fans deemed the AI ads that the luxury fashion company Valentino put out a few months later tacky. That’s not the kind of press you’d want to make possible.

How Can Creative Teams Use AI Responsibly?

There is a place for AI in professional creatives’ toolkits, provided they really do use it as a tool and not a ready-made replacement for human artistic expression. In fact, some forms of AI have been integral to artists’ workflows for ages. For example, you’re using it every time you make a smart selection or extend a background.

AI is best used as an accelerator during a project’s early stages. It’s perfect for exploring different avenues during brainstorming and ideation by providing many rough drafts of concepts, styles, color choices, etc., you can build upon and refine later. Treated as a scaffold, AI tools can remove creative blocks and help the skills your team has been cultivating for years reach their best, most human expression.

Transparency and observability are crucial when selecting AI tools. They ensure that you retain complete control over the creative process by having insight into how inputs and decisions shape the tool’s responses. Maintaining brand consistency becomes easier, as does making sure that sensitive and off-limit data doesn’t unduly influence or become exposed during the creative process.