DC Comics President and Publisher Jim Lee said the company “will not support narratives or artwork created by artificial intelligence,” assuring fans that its future will continue to be rooted in human creativity. “Not now, not ever, not yet [SVP, general manager] Ann DePice and I are in charge of that.” Lee said during his discussion. at New York Comic Con on Wednesday, comparing concerns about AI dominance in the future of creative industries to fears of Millennium bugs and the hype around NFTs.
“People instinctively respond to what seems genuine. We are repulsed by what seems fake. That's why human creativity matters,” Lee said. “AI doesn't dream. It doesn't feel. It doesn't create art. It connects it.”
Although the District of Columbia has a long-standing policy that all artwork must be original and authentically created by the artist, the company faced several scandals regarding the proposed use of generative artificial intelligence in variant comic book covers. The backlash from people who oppose the technology due to concerns that it will replace the work of writers and artists has led DC to replace the suspect covers and likely contributed to the company taking a stronger stance against the use of generative AI in future projects.
“Anyone can draw a cape. Anyone can write a hero. It's been around since comic books. It's called fan fiction, and there's nothing wrong with fan fiction,” Lee said. “But Superman only feels good when he's in the DC universe. Our universe, our myths. This is what endures. This is what carries us into the next century.”
