AI-GENERATED ART AND NFT POLICY
Last updated 1 March 2025
The short version
By applying for a stall at Papercuts Comics Festival’s Market Day, you agree that:
- you will not sell, display or promote any type of product (including but not limited to comics, prints, badges, posters) that uses AI-generated art at the Market Day
- you will not sell, display or promote any NFTs at the Market Day.
The longer version
What is AI-generated art?
AI-generated art is any artwork created by using artificial intelligence programs, including text-to-image programs such as DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion or Midjourney. It is not art drawn by hand using a computer program such as Photoshop, Clip Studio or Procreate.
Hey, did you change your policy?
An earlier version of this policy allowed specifically limited use of AI-generated art (for comics only, up to 20% of any stallholders’ products; in other words, a maximum of one comic that used any element of AI-generated art for every four comics containing completely original art).
We have always been clear that there are a lot of valid concerns about AI-generated art, including copyright infringement considerations, the effect on artists, and whether not it even qualifies as art. As we said in the previous policy, we believe AI-generated art is unethical.
For context, the one-in-five limit was specifically intended to ensure that only original artists applied, but to allow flexibility in case such artists had a valid case for AI. For example, a creator who has their work in dialogue with AI art — the message of this work is anti-AI, but under a blanket ban it would not be allowed.
We were trying to create a policy that offered room for nuance; unfortunately, we didn’t succeed. The previous policy was misunderstood as encouraging or condoning AI art, which Papercuts does not do. As a result, in order to avoid any further misinterpretation, we have revised our policy and we now have a blanket ban.
What are NFTs?
NFT stands for non-fungible token and refers to a unique digital identifier that is recorded in type of digital ledger called a blockchain, and which is used to certify ownership and authenticity. NFTs can be associated with a particular digital or physical asset.
Are there exceptions to this policy?
No.
How will the policy be enforced?
If your application to be a stallholder at Papercuts Comics Festival’s market day is successful and you are observed in breach of this policy, you will be asked to remove the breaching material from display and stop selling it. If you are observed a second time, you will be removed from the event and will forfeit your deposit.
Please contact us if you require further clarification.