The «AI»-lie, data-theft, industry, and organizing

Published 02.05.2026

The global «AI»-con, a large marketing- and investment-campaign from the heart of technology monopolies and the upcoming crisis of global capitalism, has confused people’s understanding of art, media, and industry. The fantastical ideas of world-ending human-thinking machines and world-saving intelligent machinic lovers, friends, and workers occupy artists’ minds. They do not realize that the whole narrative is a waste of time. Your work does not need to be improved and your work does not need to be replaced. The phenomenon of visual communication, artistry, and animating does not need to change so that automation can take its place. The capitalization of your work, towards the goal of making your craft obsolete does not need to happen.

What «AI» describes are different forms of digital automated programming, ranging from probability-calculations to reading data-sets. Nothing really ties these programs together, except that they are all being sold as «Artificial Intelligence». Not a shred of intelligence, consciousness, or simulated neurology is to be found in these technologies, despite what universities, studios, companies, and conglomerates try to sell and tell you. The real advancement from past technologies are inflated through marketing.

Once this fog of a lie clears, you will see firstly the ongoing capitalization of internet media- and art. The most over-hyped programs and its companies (Sora, ChatGPT, etc.) has always been built on the theft of other peoples’ work. Secondly, you will see the mass accumulation of digital information. Thirdly you will see increased mass misinformation, disinformation, and digital exploitation. Finally, you will see increased digital automation, increased surveillance, increased oppression.

The accumulation of digital work and information on all of its citizens, followed by
capitalizing on it without giving restitution, are products of today’s economic and political system. To sit and wait for the politicians to fix things will do nothing, for they are allowing it to happen. To walk out and push for regulation is better than nothing, but will not fix the fundamental problems. To take matters into your own hands and team up with like-minded individuals is a step in the right direction. But what are the approaches to take this step? Firstly, there is the approach to detach your artistry and media-work from the technologies and people of data-collection. If one insists on publishing their digital drawings, images, and animations, it must be done under protection of relentless programming (Glazing and Nightshade are now compromised, but their ideas are the right ones). The third approach is putting pressure in the workplace and the surrounding system. In production and distribution, is your work not to be collected and to be used for training. We should not just push to put stickers on «AI»-generated content. We should do everything we can to make data-theft not happen.

Anti-theft Image: «Create. (Do not give art/media data)»