AI-generated content not a true graphic art, says graphic designers group founder
Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content circulating widely on social media, such as the recent Sierra Madre videos, cannot be considered legitimate graphic artworks, according to the founder of Filipino Graphic Designers (FGD).
“I wouldn’t say that it is a graphic art because it’s from a prompt,” Nabbie S. Francisco, founder of FGD, told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the first day of the Philippine Design Fest 2025 last Friday.
“So I would say (AI is) a good writer, but not a good editor,” he added.
In recent weeks, various AI-generated photos and videos of Sierra Madre, a mountain range in the eastern part of Luzon, were created by netizens in gratitude for its role in shielding the island from the wrath of Super Typhoon Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan.
Several videos showed clips representing a personification of Sierra Madre mountains fighting against the storm Fung-wong.
Mr. Francisco said that the use of AI in graphic arts has been a polarizing topic in the community, but noted that the technology must only be used as a tool to augment an artist’s work.
“So I would say that it’s going to come, but we really have to adapt. But at the same time, don’t lose your creativity in that aspect, because AI is just a tool for us to create better outputs,” he said.
The founder also recommended that creators who make AI-generated content use the technology ethically, such as properly disclosing if AI was used in the creation of a photo or video as well as properly crediting or securing the copyright of the references used in the generated output.
One of the country’s most popular social media platforms, TikTok, has been labeling content that is significantly or completely generated by AI since 2023.
According to its website, the platform provides an option for creators to label their content as AI-generated. The platform can also identify and automatically label content if it detects the use of AI. — Edg Adrian A. Eva
