Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead and Chief Operating Officer of Image Comics, has expressed his concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in comic books. He condemned the use of the technology recently at San Diego Comic-Con.

According to ThePopVerse, Kirkman spoke during his SDCC spotlight panel and gave his thoughts on A.I.’s usage in comics as a medium and said he was terrified by it. “I think that A.I. is not A.I. It’s copying and stealing,” he said. “I see statistics where generative A.I. is generating so much stuff so quickly that 90% of the Internet will be false information by a certain date.” Kirkman’s words come at a time when tensions surrounding the usage of A.I. art are high, with creators and comics publishers like Dark Horse releasing their position on the matter.

The rising trend in A.I. generated images permeating the web has already breached the world of comics. In March, DC’s new Batman comic series was accused of A.I. artwork by writer and designer James Leech. Outside of comics, films have also been accused of using the tool, with Late Night with the Devil being blasted on social media for its alleged use of A.I. art in scenes from the movie.

A.I. Art Has Been Used in Major Comics, Films and Anime Despite No Copyright Protections

In August 2023, a United States federal judge ruled that art created by artificial intelligence is not eligible for copyright protection. Nonetheless, the use of A.I. art has still been on the rise, with many artists against it speaking out and acting as whistleblowers when they discover media that has likely been generated. The Beyblade X anime’s use of A.I.-generated art in the ending theme was highly controversial among fans, who labeled it a “disgraceful embarrassment” on social media.

The collectible card game Magic the Gathering also came under fire when it disappointed fans by admitting to using A..I in promotional artwork. Others, like Marvel’s Spider-Verse creators, have taken a stand against using A.I. art, with many artists believing the generative A.I. tools, which are trained on pre-existing artwork (often without the artist’s permission), constitute plagiarizing.

While Image Comics has yet to officially release a statement on its A.I. art stance, Kirkman’s SDCC comments seem to indicate that the publisher will not tolerate the use of A.I. in its comics.