From 2 Million Won to 100,000 Won: "Ghibli Craze Sparks Price Undercutting" [AI Artist's Counterattack] ②

As AI Emerges, Illustrators Face Thinner Wallets
Urgent Need for Solutions to Price Negotiation and Copyright Issues
Artists Must Unite Their Voices Like Overseas Associations

Editor's NoteWe are living in an era where ChatGPT can even create images in the style of Japanese Ghibli animation. The illustration industry has rapidly become the frontline of an 'AI-driven industrial transformation.' By examining the everyday changes experienced by illustrators competing with AI, we offer a preview of a world of professions that could soon become a reality for all of us?one where AI may take over many jobs.

Image created using ChatGPT. DALL·E 3.

Most illustrators who are at risk of losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence (AI) work as freelancers, making it difficult for them to speak with one voice on crucial issues such as price negotiation and copyright protection, both of which are essential for their livelihoods. Even though AI can instantly create images with a single click and replicate artistic styles, thereby threatening illustrators' ability to earn a living, it is difficult for them to find any protective organizations to support them. There are growing calls that, in order for illustrators to survive in a market made more challenging by the advent of AI, they need an organization that can represent their interests and speak as one voice.

As the Ghibli-style craze removes resistance to AI, price competition has begun

Illustrator advertisement posted on a popular domestic expert platform. Screenshot of the internet homepage.

Kim Seunghoon, Deputy Director of the Korea Platform Freelancer Labor Mutual Aid Association (Mutual Aid Association), who has been monitoring illustration industry trends since 2023, explained in an interview with Asia Economy on the 19th, "Over the past two years, the industry has undergone dramatic changes due to the emergence of generative AI such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini." He added, "In the past, ordering an illustration from a well-known illustrator would typically cost between 1 million and 2 million won, but with the arrival of AI, price undercutting has begun, and it is now common to find works priced under 100,000 won."

Photo of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (left), and Altman's Ghibli-style profile. Sam Altman X

Kim explained that, before 2022, AI-generated images were so crude and awkward that they posed no threat to the illustration industry, but the "Ghibli-style image" craze sparked by ChatGPT at the beginning of this year in Korea rapidly changed the situation. He said, "With the emergence of highly capable AI in just a few years, consumers no longer have any resistance to AI-generated images," and "After the advent of AI, the price per illustration dropped below 100,000 won, and now there is no longer any lower limit for pricing." He added, "Since anyone can now handle simple web design tasks on their own, the illustration market itself has effectively shrunk."

Kim also pointed out that another problem arising from the advent of AI is the unauthorized learning of illustrators' unique 'artistic styles,' which used to be their greatest asset. He said, "Everyone knows what a 'Ghibli image' is. For illustrators, their artistic style is a unique brand, but AI can learn and copy this," and "However, under current copyright law, artistic style is not recognized as copyrightable. From the illustrator's perspective, the rights to my product are being infringed, but there is no way to prove the damage."

Double hardship: Weakened price negotiation and copyright issues... Artists need organizations to protect their interests

2023 Large-Scale Strike of the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Photo by AP Yonhap News

Kim advised that, overseas, where conflicts with AI began earlier than in Korea, there has been active movement to establish organizations to protect illustrators' rights and interests.

In the United States, the Concept Art Association (CAA), established in 2018 by illustrators working in Hollywood film production, plays a role in mediating conflicts between AI and illustrators.

CAA, recognizing that AI is reducing job opportunities in the illustration industry, strongly supports California State Assembly Bill 412, also known as the 'AI Copyright Transparency Act.' This bill would require companies to clearly disclose whether they used a specific illustrator's work as training data for AI. This allows illustrators to determine whether their copyrights have been infringed.

In the United Kingdom, the Association of Illustrators (AOI) has conducted research on AI's infringement of illustrators' rights and submitted reports to Parliament.

Kim stated, "Korea also needs an organization that can represent the collective voice of all illustrators and protect their rights," and pointed out, "Although there are organizations that oversee academic research and competitions, there is no group that can protect and advocate for illustrators' rights."

A representative from the Korea Association of Illustrators (KAOI), which is responsible for issuing and managing illustration-related certifications, said, "Because the association is small, it has no capacity to engage in activities beyond its core function of managing certifications, such as protecting illustrators' rights," and "Currently, there is no independent organization in Korea dedicated to protecting illustrators' rights or copyrights."