Shepsi

I received lots of messages after my big AI rant earlier this week. I’d say over 95% of you guys seem to be on my side. For those who think using AI visuals for shows or artworks is the normal continuation of things, I totally disagree. AI is not a tool when it comes to art. If you are prompting AI to regurgitate a mashup of what previous human artists have made, you are not an artist using tools, you are a bad copycat using shortcuts. You can pretend you are making art all you want, but you aren’t.  I’ve been working for two years on our manga (that comes out very soon), and before writing the script for this manga, I spent another 2 years learning about the craft, immersing myself in this world and culture of Mangaka. Then worked with Louis Picard to create the beautiful drawings; if you saw how many hours and calls and meetings went into this process, you wouldn’t believe it. We gave everything to this project. The characters have been with me for the past few years, living in my head, I know them now and they know me. And the stress associated with putting so much time into something without knowing how it will be received is what makes art so honest, true and vulnerable.  So it’s not just the fact that AI crap is soulless, it’s also too quick of a process. What you can prompt in 2 minutes, will never feel human, because a human can’t do it in 2 minutes. And 2 minutes is not enough to get to know characters, to dive into a world you’ve created. 2 minutes is the time it takes to reheat a meal, not to build a world.  I truly don’t care if you disagree with me, I know some people will take shortcuts, but I’m optimistic true art will prevail.  That’s also why we will only sell physical copies of our manga for the initial drop (most probably early 2026). I want people to connect with something real. We’re making the coolest collector box set, I’m so excited to show you. But again, making this box has been hard and complicated, with delays and challenges…. And these challenges are normal. I want them in my life, they should be part of the process.