Finally after years of hard work, you were able to get a job as an artist for a video game. Your dreams are coming true, and you feel like you finally have accomplished your biggest goal in life…until you look at your phone notifications. It’s a text from your boss. It reads “hey, we’re letting you go because we’re going to use AI to create the art for the game. We appreciate your time.”
As AI advances and is able to create art and even animation, its grip on the entertainment industry grows, leading to artists being replaced by AI and struggling to find employment. This has scared many artists into pursuing art as a career, and artists are not the only group being impacted; programmers, voice actors and game designers have also faced challenges and layoffs.
“As someone who wants to work as a 3D artist in the games industry, I can say it is concerning to see the amount of companies using AI art or planning to use AI art,” senior Logan Jennison said. “But I think that if we keep boycotting and pushing back against the use of AI in art, companies will be forced to avoid it all together.”
Additionally, AI art shows have now begun to appear, as well as AI art contests. Companies have begun investing billions of dollars into AI generation. Some refer to this recent rise in AI as the “AI bubble.” The term comes from back when the internet was first invented and people referred to it as the “Dot-Com bubble.”
“It does make me really worried for the art industry,” junior Zoey Wingler said. “But when photography was invented, all the painters were worried that they would lose their job because no one needs a painting when they have a photo, but [painting] is still a thing.”
One example of companies investing in AI is the cancelled $1 billion deal between Disney and OpenAI. The deal was cancelled due to the shut down of the AI video generation app Sora AI. Open AI did not disclose the reason for the closure, but some have argued that it has to do with AI not being as profitable as companies thought.
“I think most people dislike the idea of AI being used for games or movies,” Jennison said. “So this will encourage companies to avoid using AI for any of their art. There are countless examples of the gaming community [being] outraged when studios put AI artwork into their games. I know I personally avoid any media that uses AI.”
One example of an artist being replaced by AI is Adam Le Gallez, a freelance animator also known as Adsapaps online, who in early 2025, was hired to make an animated video to promote a UK rapper’s new track. When he finished, he was told the animation would be put on hold. After some time he noticed the song had been released, but his work had been replaced with an AI animation.
“Emotionally, it is easy to overthink in a negative way,” Gallez said. “But making things as if it never existed has been a lot of fun, and I’ve seen my work improve as a result.”
Gallez said that he has noticed that a lot of the work he used to get as an artist has cooled down ever since the popularity of AI tools. Despite this, however, he has been able to continue working in the industry.
“I have recently gone into employment for a YouTuber which is amazing,” Gallez said. “They are
very good to work for, and trust me creatively which is very freeing.”
Gallez advised artists to always create and keep AI out of their mind.
“Social media is good at getting your stuff seen, and more people are really starting to appreciate craft and how things are made,” Gallez said. “Also, keep yourself inspired, looking at other people’s work and trying to replicate it [yourself]. Even trying to replicate some AI things I’ve seen has been very satisfying.”
However, despite the fact that the development of AI has replaced many artists, its development has been beneficial for healthcare, transportation and economic growth.
“When AI is used in medical stuff, there is benefit in [using] it,” Wingler said. “[It’s beneficial for] computers that are super precise with surgeries. I also saw a video of this blind lady with Meta Glasses to describe the things around her, and that’s the type of AI I think should stay.”
As artists continue their pursuit of careers and entertainment, the advancement of AI will continue; however, artists all over the world will continue to create art despite everything.
“If any artists are scared of AI, I think it’s perfectly reasonable,” Wingler said. “But I don’t think we should lose hope in our passions, and even though the world is super scary right now because of everything happening; we shouldn’t lose hope. And I think you should continue doing your passion.”
