Libraraptor´s Book Project

[BlueKrono]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

A design department? Oh dear... I hate to tell you this, but somebody had an AI generator spit this out in a matter of minutes, !. You were so kind and respectful when you asked some of us to contribute our stories to this book. I feel like this gives the wrong impression for a few reasons. Firstly, the ethics of AI art: it's the visual equivalent of going through the DTF, harvesting snippets of our stories, mixing them together and presenting them as your own. AI art tends to look cheap and vaguely disturbing. And what's more, this picture isn't really indicative of the subject matter of your book (it looks like they may have just used the prompt "dinosaur bones"). I know myself and others on this forum would be more than willing to supply pictures of our collections for your cover. Some have much more photogenic collections than I do. Or it might even be cool to see a sampling of your own collection. I understand if it's too late to turn the ship around, but just some food for thought.

You accuse the publisher of that book (and by implication also the author) essentially of theft of intellectual property (quote: "a product of images stolen from artists and photographers"). This is a very serious accusation with profound legal implications and potentially also legal consequences. You better support your accusation with clear evidence. If you cannot produce this evidence, you should better revoke your accusations.

Do you know how AI art works? There's tons of information about it online - here's just one article: https://beautifulbizarre.net/2023/03/11/ai-art-ethical-concerns-of-artists/

I quote:
"Works from unknowns posted on social media are fed into databases alongside the works of old masters and modern "geniuses". Information and data gathered without protection or permission. Artists have had their work unknowingly entered into databases without consent and in many cases without the option to opt out."

Virtually all AI databases are contaminated with stolen images harvested from the web. It's not as much of a problem when you're just making fun-looking profile pics for your own amusement, but it becomes a lot more cloudy once you start selling the imagery comprised of stolen art on posters or book covers. It's very difficult to pinpoint the exact photos or paintings individual AI art has been harvested from, but it is occasionally possible with certain softwares. This makes it very difficult for photographers or artists to prosecute the people that have replicated their styles, so AI art has proliferated in the last 15 months. Legal systems that protect artists from copyright infringement sadly lag far behind, and many have found themselves out of a job within the past year when publishers decide a mildly unsettling image that is produced in seconds is more cost effective and "good enough".

I mean no disrespect to @Libraraptor and don't rescind my permission to use my story in his book. I would just hope that this discussion might shed some light on a practice that is very common yet causes harm to people. And as Maya Angelou said, "Then when you know better, do better."

You make a legally relevant accusation and you better provide evidence for it. You need to demonstrate for this particular book cover that it draws on material without being licensed to do so. If you fail to be able to do so, you harm the reputation of the author and the publisher.

Like I said above, it's very difficult to tie a specific AI image to the art pieces it was culled from. That said, I'm not at all worried about your legal warnings. I'm not sure how much you know about civil suits, but slander, libel and defamation cases are almost never won due to strong freedom of speech laws, and it's quite difficult to find an attorney who would even consider pursuing such a case unless the defendant is a multibillion-dollar company where's there's a possibility of getting a fat settlement. I'm a stay at home dad with hardly any income, so good luck trying to squeeze water from a rock.

In regards to our author's response I figured he'd respond one of three ways:

1. Yes, but this is AI art produced from a new, independent pool of images for which the authors have given consent and been fairly compensated for, which you were not aware of yet BlueKrono.

2. Yes, I know about how AI is produced and I don't care. (In this case I wouldn't pursue the conversation).

3. Maybe? I don't really know.

Since it was closest to the third I took the opportunity to educate in hopes of raising awareness and maybe doing better in the future. I am always open to learning and improving myself.

[Ikessauro]

I can't believe I missed this thread. Great project @Libraraptor , I hope we get an English version someday! Sounds like a really interesting read.

Regarding the issue of the cover, to me it looks really like AI art. I wouldn't recommend using it, because that is a clear indication of a "cheap" product.
For us forum members, it is very clear your project was a result of years of dedication and passion, far from anything cheap or poorly made, so it should deserve a better cover to represent it.

But that is my opinion. I won't go deeper in the ethics of AI art because @BlueKrono has done that already quite clearly and effectively I think.

Regardless of cover, I'd buy a copy if it were in English.

[Libraraptor]

Thank you for all your interesting and encouraging food for thought so far. 

I won´t be changing the cover.

Firstly because my gut feeling tells me it hits the nail on the head. It´s not for everyone. To me the question is not "AI or no AI?"

When I first saw this design in November last year, I felt irritations and ambiguities myself. But then I quickly decided, go for it.

The emotions it might trigger even are, on a meta-level, what a part of the book is about. The cover doesn´t in any way devalue, scoff or mock the contributions from other paleo-people I included. And dinosaurs and their forms of representation and prehistory in general have always been evoking mixed emotions, always standing in the intersection of natural and cultural science.

Secondly after the effect the cover surely does generate, the subtitle and the blurb do speak for themselves and will definitely make clear that the book is a heart project of someone who knows what he is talking about.

Thirdly I trust the publisher that they will take care for legal matters, should there be any.

Having said this, I am curious about other opinions and feedback

[ceratopsian]

I personally don't find the cover appealing, I'm afraid.  But if I saw the title in a bookshop, I'd certainly look inside the book to investigate the contents.

[DinoToyForum]

I like the concept for the front cover, it fits the paleo-nerd theme and it is fun and funny. Whether or not it's AI generated (I'm confident it is) is another matter.

[Libraraptor]

On the front page of the publisher, there now is the "Verlagsprogramm" -  basically a catalogue with announcements, bestsellers a.s.o.
You can flick through it virtually - on the first pages you now see the back cover, too

For the central cartoon I finally found a graphic artist who is gathering many of the protagonists in the book at a table, just like Da Vinci did on his "Last Supper" painting. Have yourself surprised

[Libraraptor]

I proudly announce that I finished last corrections of the manuscript. I concludingly worked on continuity, logic and a little syntax.
The cover and inside layout are ready for release and they are great.
Palaeontologist Dr. Achim Schwermann chipped in with a foreword, of which I am very proud!
Soon the printing press will be working and in a few weeks I will receive my own copies And then the book will be released into the wild.
I have already been offered some readings at bookshops and a museum and will keep you up to date here about the covering, extensions and effects of my project 

[DinoToyForum]

I proudly announce that I finished last corrections of the manuscript. I concludingly worked on continuity, logic and a little syntax.
The cover and inside layout are ready for release and they are great.
Palaeontologist Dr. Achim Schwermann chipped in with a foreword, of which I am very proud!
Soon the printing press will be working and in a few weeks I will receive my own copies And then the book will be released into the wild.
I have already been offered some readings at bookshops and a museum and will keep you up to date here about the covering, extensions and effects of my project 

Fantastic, you must be excited! I'm looking forward to it.

[Libraraptor]

Since being an author as well, you definitely know the endless loop of excitement I am caught in at the moment. Will any misprints habe "survived"? Will it be good enough? Will people accept me as an author?Will my message be understood and like? What if people do not like it? 
But I am confident things will work out fine.

[ceratopsian]

Well done to have got this stage finished @Libraraptor!  My life experience as both an editor and an author suggests that one misprint will evade your notice - until you open the printed book!

[Libraraptor]

That would be a nightmare, but I guess it is nearly impossible to avoid. Hope I can be gracious with myself when the time comes. 

[DinoToyForum]

That would be a nightmare, but I guess it is nearly impossible to avoid.

The book gods are cruel. They're also responsible for museum text panels.