Tintin executive claims European industry opposes it

Midjourney and Dall-E have sparked a comics fightback as publishers prepare for EU rules lawsuit.

Brussels, home to Tintin and the Smurfs, proudly displays its cartoon past in massive murals on its majestic avenues. The self-proclaimed comics capital is in trouble.

European cartoonists are fighting a new, faceless enemy: artificial intelligence.

Legal grey area for AI-generated art. EU copyright regulations do not specifically cover AI-generated art, leaving some artists questioning if AI will aid or hinder creativity and whether low-cost AI tools could eventually replace human artists.

Generative AI systems like Midjourney generate pictures in minutes using a machine-learning algorithm trained on artists’ works.

Gauthier van Meerbeeck, editorial director at Le Lombard, says this has caused a “complete rejection” of AI in European comics.

His company publishes The Adventures of Tintin, about a nearly century-old boy-reporter.

Tintin is a global icon recognized for his blond quiff, baggy plus fours, and dependable friend, Snowy the dog. Hergé created him.

“AI-generated art is generated by stealing from artists,” van Meerbeeck argues. “So morally I could never get involved.”

Disney’s use of AI-generated graphics in Marvel’s Secret Invasion in June 2023 stirred controversy across the Atlantic, and generative AI has spurred lawsuits in the US.

Companies like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta Platforms have been sued by artists who claim AI profited from their work without consent.

European comic-book publishers are preparing for lawsuit when new EU AI Act guidelines take effect in mid-2025. These will require tech companies to disclose training inputs, risking copyright litigation.

“It’s huge for publishers,” says Federation of European Publishers legal counsel Quentin Deschandelliers. To sue, you must “know what is under the hood”.

He argues the new rule may force tech companies to license artists’ work to train generative AI models.

Several prominent tech companies that trained their AI on others’ output have inked content-licensing partnerships with media outlets, including OpenAI with the Financial Times and Google with News Corp., amid copyright concerns.

According to Deschandelliers, some publishers and authors fear “giving away the keys to the kingdom” due to AI-generated works overwhelming the market.

Artists are debating whether to use the new tools despite courtroom disputes.

NIX, a Belgian comic book artist, says he was a computer engineer who “accidentally became a comic book artist”. He trained a generative algorithm on his comics, saying that he wanted to replace himself to spend more time at the beach.

The 2021 release of OpenAI’s generative AI model Dall-E did not amuse his fellow comic creators. Watershed moment.

“It was a shock how powerful it was,” Verduyn says. “That’s when I thought there’ll be many unemployed in the future.”

European Commission business statistics show that the cultural sector employed 7.7 million people in 2022 and had a net turnover of €448 billion (US$480 billion) in 2021.

NIX feels his use of AI for low-skilled, repetitive labor is “gently disruptive” and vital to compete with Japanese and US comic-book titans.

However, recent art grads are upset about machines taking their entry-level positions.

Sarah Vanderhaegen adds, “It’s cheap, fast, no humans needed, and it kills any kind of artistic endeavour in the industry.” A encounter with AI during an internship shattered the 24-year-old Belgian, leading her to change her major to archaeology.

Tintin executive claims European industry opposes it

By triji

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