Japanese drawing tablet manufacturer Wacom has stirred controversy online for sponsoring a high school AI art contest in Japan. Established in 1983, Wacom is globally recognized for creating products used by artists, designers and photographers, most notably its digital drawing tablet. Thus, when the company was found to be sponsoring an AI art contest, the news didn’t sit well with many artists.
The AI art contest, hosted by SEIFU University in Osaka, Japan, serves to imbibe knowledge and passion for generative AI among high school students and encourage creativity through AI-enabled art production. Participating students are asked to use AI art generators DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion, or Niji Journey, and the winner receives ¥30,000 (roughly AU$289).
Irked about this development, artists took to various social media platforms to express their disapproval, noting a disconnect with Wacom’s underlying philosophy of aiding artists in their creative journey. One toy designer lamented that Wacom was now marketing to AI image generation software users. Another user, highlighting the potential copyright issues that AI art generators often encounter, expressed concerns over students unknowingly infringing copyrights.
Even more interesting is a previously viral post by a Japanese user that criticizes Wacom for mistakenly using AI-generated material in an advertisement, for which it had earlier apologized, and yet sponsoring an AI art contest now. Sponsor Niji Journey, a platform creating AI-generated anime artwork, was also criticized for allegedly using artists’ works for training AI without permission.
The criticism comes atop an existing controversy surrounding Wacom’s use of AI-generated art. Earlier this year, Wacom apologized for using AI-produced artwork in a New Year promotional campaign, stating it unintentionally purchased the artwork from a third-party vendor.
Wacom’s entanglement in this dispute underscores the growing concerns in the artistic community about AI’s role and influence in creative expression, artist compensation, and copyright laws. Despite the contention, Wacom remains a sponsor for the contest, signaling its continued interest in AI-related endeavors. The specific reaction from Wacom Japan to these criticisms is still awaited.
