Regarding "AI" Art and My Book Covers Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that an "AI"-generated artwork made its way onto the cover of the Italian edition of Starter Villain. Certain artists (who are human, by the way) found the cover art on Adobe's stock art site, where it is labeled as "generated with AI. " I want to clarify that I have a strict policy against using AI-generated art for final cover designs, and I believed that this message had been widely communicated to my team. When this particular art was presented to me for approval, I made the assumption that it was created by a human artist and gave it my endorsement. So ultimately, I take responsibility for this oversight. However, I must emphasize that I do not wish to cast doubt on my Italian publisher or their art team. The decision to use this artwork was made several months ago, and not every stock art site (including the ones where this art is available) labels their offerings as "AI-generated" then or now. It is entirely possible that this art was chosen in good faith, believing it was the work of a human artist. It is also possible that my "no AI" policy was somehow overlooked in the process between here and Italy. I want to stress that there are multiple points where miscommunication could have occurred without any ill intentions. These are explanations, not excuses. If anyone is to be blamed, it is me, as my name is on that cover. Given the circumstances, I want to outline the steps I am taking to prevent such incidents from happening in the future and address the harm caused by the use of AI-generated art in the industry. 1. I have informed my agent (who will relay this instruction down the chain) that all future book contracts must include a provision stating that cover art must be created by human artists. While using stock art is acceptable, it must be sourced from human creators rather than AI-generated sources. We expect our contractual partners to exercise due diligence in ensuring these conditions are met, such as selecting stock art sites that explicitly indicate when art is AI-generated.

I should note that Tor has already agreed to this policy. It is no longer just a guideline; it is now a non-negotiable contractual requirement. 2. I have made a donation to the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, specifically in support of their Sponsored Memberships for BIPOC artists. This contribution aims to empower emerging artists from marginalized communities by providing them with access to the professional and artistic community that ASFA offers. In this new era of artistry, these artists will greatly benefit from such support. It is important to recognize that even with this contractual provision in place, it will become increasingly challenging to keep AI-generated art off book covers, particularly when stock art is employed. Not all AI-generated art will be labeled as such, and as AI technology continues to advance, the distinction of what qualifies as "AI-generated" might evolve. Nevertheless, it is crucial to remain vigilant and uphold the principle of "human-created" as a contractual point to ensure that there is always a human artist involved, contributing their unique skills and effort. This aspect holds significant value to me. — JS (PS: I apologize if there are any issues with leaving comments on this entry. I have encountered an error myself while attempting to add a comment. Rest assured, I will investigate and resolve the matter. In the meantime, the additional comment I wanted to make is this: "For those tempted to mention the presence of 'AI' features in drawing programs like Photoshop, etc. , please understand that I believe there is a clear creative distinction between using these programs as tools to enhance human creativity and relying on them to substitute for human creativity. If you fail to recognize this crucial difference, the responsibility lies on you. ")