Procreate, the popular iPad design app known for empowering digital artists, has made a bold statement against generative AI. The company has announced that it will never incorporate generative AI features into its products, emphasizing its commitment to preserving human creativity amid a growing trend of AI integration in digital art tools.
On its website, Procreate acknowledged the potential of machine learning but criticized the current trajectory of generative AI as incompatible with its platform's ethos. The company expressed concerns that generative AI could undermine human creativity, even if this stance might risk Procreate appearing out of step with industry advancements.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Procreate CEO James Cuda voiced a strong personal opinion against generative AI. “I really f****** hate generative AI,” Cuda stated. “I don’t like what’s happening in the industry, and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists. We’re 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.”
This firm stance has garnered widespread praise from digital artists, many of whom have expressed discontent with other platforms that have embraced generative AI. For example, Clip Studio Paint faced backlash from its user base in 2022 and subsequently retracted plans for an image generator tool.
In contrast, Adobe has incorporated several generative AI features into its suite of design tools. The company recently faced controversy over updated terms of service that implied it might use user content to train AI models, though Adobe later clarified that it does not train its AI models on customer content.
Procreate’s decision to reject generative AI highlights a significant divergence from the industry's growing trend towards AI integration. As Procreate champions human-centric creativity, it will be intriguing to see if other digital art companies follow its lead or continue to adopt AI technologies. “We don’t exactly know where this story is going to go, how it ends,” Cuda remarked, “but we believe that we’re on the right path, supporting human creativity.”
