Popular iPad design app Procreate is coming out against generative AI, and has vowed never to introduce generative AI features into its products. The company said on its website that although machine learning is a βcompelling technology with a lot of merit,β the current path that generative AI is on is wrong for its platform.Β
Procreate goes on to say that itβs not chasing a technology that is a threat to human creativity, even though this may make the company βseem at risk of being left behind.β
Procreate CEO James Cuda released an even stronger statement against the technologyΒ in a video posted to X on Monday.Β
βI really f****** hate generative AI,β Cuda said in the video. βI donβt like whatβs happening in the industry, and I donβt like what itβs doing to artists. Weβre not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products. Our products are always designed and developed with the idea that a human will be creating something.β
The companyβs stance has attracted widespread praise from digital artists online, many of whom are unhappy with the way other digital art and illustration apps have embraced the technology.Β
For instance, illustration app Clip Studio Paint walked back its plans to release an image generator tool after facing backlash from its user base back in 2022.Β
Adobe, which arguably has the most popular suite of design tools, has released several generative AI features into its products. In addition, Adobe recently came under fire after its updated terms of service seemed to imply that it would train AI models on usersβ content. The company later had to clarify that it doesnβt train AI models on customersβ content.Β
At a time when digital art platforms are embracing AI left and right, itβs interesting to see a popular app go against the crowd. Given that Procreateβs announcement has led to significant praise from artists and designers, it will be interesting to see if other companies follow suit.
βWe donβt exactly know where this story is going to go, how it ends. But, we believe that weβre on the right path, supporting human creativity,β Cuda said.