A Poll On The Use Of AI Art In TAS Products

[Spirit of '77]

As someone who just paid a human artist to illustrate the sophonts of my setting, I would be a NO on AI art.

 

[swordtart]

Rem

Remember when the Rajneeshis bussed a bunch of homeless people in from Portland, registered them to vote locally, and used them to capture the city government of Antelope, Oregon?

I think you are confusing campaigning which is perfectly legitimate with election fraud which is not.

I don't know if those that voted "No" also talked to their friends about it. Cyborg Prime asked for support as he is a content creator that uses AI (and is open about that on his website). That seems entirely reasonable to me and he posted in his Facebook page which unless you follow him already, you are unlikely to have seen (I certainly didn't). It should also be noted that those who saw it were not compelled to vote one way or the other or even at all.

Since the entire poll was only 70 people even a few votes would have swung it either way, but the actual result is hardly significant considering the few people who were able to vote.

The poll was worded to see if people felt that Mongoose should ban the use of AI in TAS products, not whether people would buy TAS products that contained AI generated content, as such it is not quite a neutral as Terry Mixon might have intended.

 

[Arkathan]

Jurisdictions that do not check IDs prior to voting or allow registration up to election day are prone to election fraud. Bussing in homeless people so that they can lie on registration forms, which they probably did not fill in themselves, or having them sign already sealed absentee ballots so they can vote the way you tell them for a pack of cigarettes (Pelosi) is fraud.

 

[Terry Mixon]

I think you are confusing campaigning which is perfectly legitimate with election fraud which is not.

I don't know if those that voted "No" also talked to their friends about it. Cyborg Prime asked for support as he is a content creator that uses AI (and is open about that on his website). That seems entirely reasonable to me and he posted in his Facebook page which unless you follow him already, you are unlikely to have seen (I certainly didn't). It should also be noted that those who saw it were not compelled to vote one way or the other or even at all.

Since the entire poll was only 70 people even a few votes would have swung it either way, but the actual result is hardly significant considering the few people who were able to vote.

The poll was worded to see if people felt that Mongoose should ban the use of AI in TAS products, not whether people would buy TAS products that contained AI generated content, as such it is not quite a neutral as Terry Mixon might have intended.

Any topic with sides can’t be fully neutral, and as I wanted to keep the poll related to Mongoose, as it is their forum, that was the question that seemed most on point.

Also, I didn’t say ban. I asked if they should allow the use of. Ban is a loaded word, so while they mean the same thing in context, I tried to keep the phrasing neutral.

Your suggestion of the question is about the same in my eyes. I could have phrased it that way and still been satisfied it was as neutral as a hot button topic could be.

 

[Sigtrygg]

As we can see from the poll results, the issue certainly bears more discussion. It's pretty rare that gaming questions put to a vote come in this close, so obviously the gamer community is of two minds about all this.

900+ have not voted at all.
You can not infer the buying habits of 1000+ from a biased poll of 70. Which side does the don't know/couldn't care less side come down on if the poll was made binary.

 

[Sigtrygg]

A lot of this breaks down into age groups. Many of us older grogs are steadfastly against AI artwork and many younger folks are open to it.

I am 59 and all in favour of small press authors being able to use AI to make a living.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Any topic with sides can’t be fully neutral, and as I wanted to keep the poll related to Mongoose, as it is their forum, that was the question that seemed most on point.

It should have been binary
allow
ban

Also, I didn’t say ban. I asked if they should allow the use of. Ban is a loaded word, so while they mean the same thing in context, I tried to keep the phrasing neutral.

Avoiding using the word doesn't change what you are calling for, it is a typical trick.
Should Mongoose allow...
tell me what happens if Mongoose doesn't allow?

Your suggestion of the question is about the same in my eyes. I could have phrased it that way and still been satisfied it was as neutral as a hot button topic could be.

It can't be neutral.
Allow
Not allow/ban whatever word you want to use.

 

[Terry Mixon]

It should have been binary
allow
ban

Avoiding using the word doesn't change what you are calling for, it is a typical trick.
Should Mongoose allow...
tell me what happens if Mongoose doesn't allow?

It can't be neutral.
Allow
Not allow/ban whatever word you want to use.

As I said, I made it as neutral as I could. I think it was good enough. If you don’t like it, do your own poll.

 

[Sigtrygg]

As someone who just paid a human artist to illustrate the sophonts of my setting, I would be a NO on AI art.

We must be financially secure to be able to do that. A small publisher just starting out doesn't have much in the way of financial security.

 

[Sigtrygg]

As I said, I made it as neutral as I could. I think it was good enough. If you don’t like it, do your own poll.

Spot the snark.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Spot the snark.

As in you spotting my snark or me spotting yours? There needs to be a tag because I wasn’t being snarky and I missed it if you were. Sorry.

Also, I just woke up and am slow.

 

[Arkathan]

We must be financially secure to be able to do that. A small publisher just starting out doesn't have much in the way of financial security.

So, like the original LBB's.
For something like lists of d66 tables, decorative page borders are more than sufficient.

 

[swordtart]

We could level the playing field. Every time a prosperous author pays for real art they buy the copyright. They can then release that art as royalty free so that the indies can use it without having to rely on AI. If it is just an illustration of a Vargr or a type A (for example) then it would be generic enough for any use and it won't affect the saleability of the original work it was commissioned for.

If they were feeling especially generous they could fund a royalty free art book to show solidarity with the indies.

Maps of planets could be recycled for other scenarios based on that planet. Something that bugs me a little about Traveller is that the scenarios are scattered all over the place and if you want to run them without significant work you have to find a reason to take the characters there. Having a planet with freely available artwork might allow a more evolved world than just one city, facility or starport.

 

[Arkathan]

TAS resources free on DTRPG.

 

[Arkathan]

Terragen is another option. You can import models from made from blender, or any of the free 3d outlets that you trust and then plop them on any world you make in the settings.
There is a free trial, a free educational package and the full version is either $10/month or $200. So, if you don't put something out very often, or binge a batch of renders for future projects, you could get away with less than $30 per year.
Website

 

[Sigtrygg]

As in you spotting my snark or me spotting yours? There needs to be a tag because I wasn’t being snarky and I missed it if you were. Sorry.

Also, I just woke up and am slow.

The interwebs really are crap for meaning behind statement. I get the feeling that if we were all in the same rook talking face to face these discussions would not nearly be as unintentionally obtuse.

 

[Sigtrygg]

So, like the original LBB's.
For something like lists of d66 tables, decorative page borders are more than sufficient.

I agree, as I have said many times the most useful item I have for CT is the Starter Edition Charts and Tables book.

One of the reasons I keep asking for a Bu and Embla's Visual Guide to the Traveller Universe coffee table art book is that rule books full of art are a waste after a while. The art gets in the way of looking for rules, it is easier with a searchable pdf.

 

[collins355]

Not knowing much about art AIs - can you ask them to draw in the style of a particular artist - like Deitrich? or Caswell? or Foss?

 

[CordwainerFish]

Not knowing much about art AIs - can you ask them to draw in the style of a particular artist - like Deitrich? or Caswell? or Foss?

GLENDOWER

I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

HOTSPUR

Why, so can I, or so can any man;
But will they come when you do call for them?

 

[Condottiere]