How DeviantArt died: A.I. and greed turned a once-thriving community into a ghost town.

The Nugget

  • DeviantArt's downfall was accelerated by the proliferation of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and greed, leading to a loss of trust and engagement from its once-thriving creative community.

Make it stick

  • 🤖 DeviantArt's spiral: A.I. bots creating fake accounts to boost sales and engagement.
  • 💔 Long-time users feeling betrayed by DeviantArt's shift towards profit-driven decisions.
  • 🎨 Impact on artists: Loss of income and opportunities due to A.I. encroachment on the creative industry.

Key insights

Rise of A.I. and Greed

  • The influx of A.I. bots on DeviantArt led to a rapid decline in trust among users as fake accounts promoted sales.
  • DeviantArt's partnership with Stability A.I. and the rollout of the DreamUp tool caused uproar among artists due to unauthorized use of their creations.
  • Several prominent illustrators filed lawsuits against DeviantArt, Stability A.I., and Midjourney for copyright infringement, shining a light on the exploitation of artists' work.
  • The legal battle against DeviantArt expanded to involve more artists and additional A.I. firms, emphasizing the importance of artist ownership and copyright protection in the digital age.

Impact on the Creative Community

  • DeviantArt, once a thriving platform for artists to showcase their work, lost its appeal due to competition from larger social platforms and poor decision-making, leading to a decline in user engagement.
  • Artists who found success through DeviantArt now face challenges as generative A.I. technologies reshape the industry, impacting job prospects and income opportunities.

Key quotes

  • "The death of DA is truly heartbreaking. It was a starting point for many of us... Is maddening, and depressing to watch." - @Zzzz
  • "The downfall of @DeviantArt. Pathetic." - Romain Revert
  • "Making $25,000 or $12,000 as a DeviantArt user, like those A.I. accounts did, that’s not typical—that’s on the high end..." - Reid Southen
  • "If 30 people on a set will lose their jobs when a photoshoot is generated—I care! So what if ppl are willing to adapt?" - Jingna Zhang
  • "It’s so nice to check into Cara and see the soulful communication happening between real artists." - Angelo Sotira
This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.

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