"Let's keep making art with a soul”: artists fight back against AI action figure trend

You may have seen the recent viral online trend which saw people creating custom action figures of themselves using AI. While the trend encouraged folks to get creative, the controversial nature of AI led many artists to reject the trend, sparking a brand-new creative movement.

While the playful trend saw mass popularity on social media, the results tended to be a little formulaic due to the copy-paste prompts and AI's limited imagination. In response, artists began creating their own hand-drawn action figures, reminding us that human-made art is far superior to characterless AI image generators.

It's no secret that many artists feel hostile towards AI due to it's numerous ethical issues – from job threats to copyright concerns. Reclaiming the creative space, artists have come out in droves to share their hand-crafted take on the AI trend, from charming illustrations to intricate paper cut designs.

Started by illustrator and artist @patouret on Instagram, the hashtag #starterpacknoAI soon began trending. "Fed up with this AI starter pack trend so I decided to draw mine with my own hands," he wrote. Other creatives soon joined the movement, taking time to customise the trend with their unique art style, demonstrating the diversity and character of human-made art.

For many, the #starterpacknoAI trend became a form of protest. Artist and author @khal_essie shared her starter pack with the caption "As an artist, a writer and also a human being who doesn’t want our environment annihilated - f*ck generative ai." Artist @rorymidhani added: "Joining artists on the #starterpacknoai trend to balance out all the gross AI ones." Similarly, artist and graphic designer @xetaercx shared their artwork, writing "Love seeing all the #starterpacknoai versions made by creative humans, let's keep making art with a soul."

If you missed it, check out the original AI action figure trend or take a look at how these digital artists have made progress in the fight against unethical AI.