The curious case of retro demo scene graphics

Of course, it was only a matter of time before the time-honoured tradition of the demoscene also got infected by AI".

For me personally, generative AI ruins much of the fun. I still enjoy creating pixel art and making little animations and demos. My own creative process remains satisfying as an isolated activity. Alas, obvious AI generated imagery - as well as middle-aged men plagiarizing other, sometimes much younger, hobbyist artists - makes me feel disappointed and empty. It's not as much about effort as it is about the loss of style and personality; soul, if you will. The result is defacement, to echo T. S. Eliot, rather than inspired improvement. Even in more elaborate AI-based works, it's hard to tell where the prompt ends and the pixelling begins.

Carl Svensson

A wonderful explanation of the rather unique views on originality, stealing, plagiarism, and related topics within the demoscene, which certainly diverge from many other places.