Graphic Designer Shares Why AI Has ‘Ruined’ 24 Years Worth of Experience

A graphic designer’s online admission that their work keeps getting mistaken for being AI generated has sparked discussion among users on Reddit.

The designer, who goes by u/karloroberts on the platform, took to Reddit on February 28 to share their frustration, igniting a heated conversation about the impact of artificial intelligence on the creative industry. The post, featuring a collage of their graphic design artwork and screenshots of disparaging comments, has been upvoted more than 207,000 times to date.

“16 Years as a Graphic designer, 8 years as a Photographer, ruined by AI,” the designer told readers online. “I’ve been a digital artist since I was 10, I learned photoshop, taught myself everything, went to college, university, started my own business, created everyday, now everyone thinks my art is AI generated.”

The designer’s frustration stems from accusations that their work, honed over decades of practice and education, looks like it was generated by AI. The second slide of the post included screenshots of previous comments from Reddit users suggesting that their artwork appeared artificial, a sentiment that has become increasingly common as AI-generated art floods social media and digital marketplaces.

Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of Reality Defender, a company specializing in deepfake detection, weighed in on the designer’s dilemma.

“AI can now produce design work that appears professional while human designers with decades of experience are simultaneously having their authenticity questioned,” Colman told Newsweek. “Our work helps clients determine real from fake in visual media, as well as other mediums, which becomes increasingly crucial as these distinctions blur in creative industries.”

The rapid advancement of AI has created a conundrum for professional artists and designers who have spent years mastering their craft, like the Reddit poster. With AI tools capable of generating high-quality images at the click of a button, the lines between human and machine-created art have for some blurred, causing skepticism about the authenticity of artwork.

The Reddit post resonated with many online, drawing thousands of comments. Several Reddit users shared their own similar experiences of having their artistic efforts mistaken for AI.

“We changed from people not being able to discern between AI and actual art to people assuming everything is AI,” one viewer said.

“People assume that calling everything fake is critical thinking, when in reality it’s just as mindless as buying everything you see, because it involves making an assumption without testing or questioning it,” another added.

“I work in a media business and had this happen to one of my employees,” a third viewer said. “She is an amazing artist, especially conceptual art who has also done work for some gaming companies in the past and we had a work experience from college joining us for the week.

“I introduced her to my colleague and asked to show the WE girl her work. She said ‘wow, these are cool, what AI program do you use?’ And she got pretty upset about it.”

Another added: “I had that happen to a photo I took. Person said ‘what AI program did you use?’ I replied with a simple ‘a camera.'”

Newsweek reached out to u/karloroberts for more information via Reddit.