Is It Okay to Use AI as an Artist? Honest Reflections on Responsible Creativity
How I Use AI in My Art and Business
Let’s talk about something that gets a lot of heat lately: using AI as an artist and small business owner. I want to be upfront and honest. Personally, I don’t believe using AI is inherently wrong, either as an artist or as a business owner.
In my art practice, I use AI for idea generation when I’m stuck. Think of it as visual brainstorming, not a finished product and definitely not something I copy. It helps me get unstuck, not replace my work. For business, I use AI constantly. Captions, blog edits, SEO help, scheduling, planning. It functions like a virtual assistant, which is invaluable when you are a one-person operation.
One of the biggest ways AI helps me is with product images. I take my own photos, then use AI tools to professionally edit them. Photography is not my strong suit, and I do not have the time or money to master it right now. Because I am starting with my own images, I am not taking anything from another artist. It saves time, reduces stress, and helps my work show up more consistently. That matters.
Learn more about my story and values
Drawing My Ethical Line
Here is my hard line with AI:
- I do not copy AI-generated images or pass them off as my own artwork.
- I only use AI to enhance or edit my own original work and photos.
- I am aware that many AI models were trained on artists’ work without consent, and I do not use AI-generated images directly.
- For me, AI is a tool, not a shortcut or a way to bypass the creative process.
Navigating the Gray Area of AI-Generated Images
I will admit, I feel conflicted sometimes. When I see artists who are passionately anti-AI, I understand where they are coming from. Some see any AI use as cheating, even for administrative or business tasks. That gives me pause. But at the end of the day, I have to do what works for me. I double-check information, I edit heavily, and I rely on my gut to decide what feels ethical. I cannot run my business based on everyone else’s comfort level. Running a small business is hard enough without adding unnecessary shame into the mix.
The one area I am still actively wrestling with is AI-generated images for social media. On one hand, they save time and allow me to show up visually even when I do not have the energy or resources to create everything from scratch. On the other hand, I am aware of how these tools are trained, and that makes the ethics murky. I do not have a perfect answer. I try to be intentional, transparent, and honest. I never claim AI images are hand-drawn by me. But I am still figuring out where my personal line sits, and I want to be open about that uncertainty.
It gets even more complicated because many of the images I generate for social media are based on my own artwork and products. I am not pulling random styles from the internet. I am remixing and building on work I already created. Even so, the tools themselves exist in a gray space, and pretending otherwise does not help anyone.
If you are navigating this same space, especially if you are using AI to enhance or remix your own work, I would genuinely love to hear how you think about it. Do you use AI for social media visuals? Do you avoid it completely? Where do you draw your line?
Read: Burnout & Recovery as a Disabled Maker
Invitation for Reader Feedback
I really want to hear from you! If you are curious about AI but feel pressure from peers to avoid it altogether, my advice is simple: use it responsibly and check in with your gut. If you are not doing anything illegal or morally wrong, you are allowed to use tools that make your life easier. Just do not copy directly from AI-generated images. That crosses a line. I agree with most of the criticism aimed at so-called AI “artists.” Passing off AI-generated images as your own work is not creativity. It is theft.
Watch my YouTube video about my "virtual assistant"
Final Thoughts on Responsible Creativity
Interestingly, I have not received many questions from my audience about AI. I did make a YouTube video about my “virtual assistant,” and the only feedback I got was one comment saying my captions were obviously AI-generated. Which is funny, because half of them are not, and the other half are heavily edited by me. AI has made planning easier and given me someone to bounce ideas off of, which is huge as a solo entrepreneur. But I still make every final decision, and I do not use AI in ways I am not comfortable with.
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Bottom line: AI is a tool, not a replacement for creativity, skill, or integrity. Used thoughtfully, it can support artists instead of replacing them. Used carelessly, it causes harm. The responsibility still belongs to the person using it.