Ohman Informs the Public re: AI
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As artificial intelligence infiltrates virtually every aspect of modern life, I had assumed, completely incorrectly, that editorial cartooning was probably more or less immune.
Earlier this year, however, I got a rude wake-up call.
Several editorial cartoonists first sent me a set of cartoons by Pedro Molina and Rick McKee that had been run through what I assumed was ChatGPT.
A guy (electronic entity?) working under the name of ToonAmerica had taken the artists’ drawings, converted them through AI and churned out virtually identical versions of their art, put his AI-signature on them and posted them on his Facebook page.
Naturally, I was appalled, not just on the artists’ behalf, but also because AI had made them artistically awkward and stiff, and then, to complete the electronic plagiarism, had the brass to sign them as his own.
While cartoonists and fans are well aware of what is happening the general public has no idea of the outright theft of intellectual property by culprits with no artistic ability or mental capacity to generate ideas.
Editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman has taken a step to educate the masses with his column in The San Francisco Chronicle: “I’m a political cartoonist. AI is making a mockery of my profession.”
Jack notes that creators need help to minimize the damage:
The question now is: Who’s going to police this AI piracy and how?
In California, Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, introduced AB412, the “AI Copyright Transparency Act,” and it has passed the Assembly and is before the Senate.
“As the AI industry continues to develop and expand, it is critical for content creators to know if and how their work is being used to train advanced models. The AI Copyright Transparency Act increases accountability for AI developers and empowers copyright owners to exercise their rights,” Bauer-Kahan said about her legislation.
This bill has been endorsed by the Screen Actors Guild and SAG-AFTRA, and has been driven more by Hollywood than piteous, hunchbacked editorial cartoonists working with 16th century materials like sable hair and ink. Still, it covers us, too. Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t taken a position on it yet.
The complete opinion piece is also available on the Jack Ohman You Betcha substack.
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