
DIGITAL artist Gerard Quizon, also known as Art of Maku, has expressed dismay after finding out from followers that his digital fan art featuring avatars of the Ppop girl group Bini fell victim to AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Quizon’s creations were converted into AI art and were being sold on Facebook as merch without his consent.
Quizon made a post on his Facebook page to express his dismay and shed light on the situation. He urged others not to support AI arts, emphasizing its negative impact on real artists.
“Kaya wag po kayo nagsusupport ng AI arts. Dahil ganyan ang trabaho nyan. Kumuha ng material sa legit na artist tapos itransform then pagkakitaan. Kung hindi ko naman ginawa yang #BINIavatars, wala naman magegenerate na ganyan. Ang ending maiiwan yung real artist. Mas malaki pa market nila,” Quizon wrote.
The post garnered thousands of reactions and comments in support of Quizon. Netizens condemned the use of AI to replicate and profit from original artistic works without securing proper permission.
In a separate post, Quizon clarified that he is not selling his Bini avatars unless there is formal negotiation and user agreements are in place.
Meanwhile, a user, who claims to be Jerson Lapura, commented on the posts and admitted to being responsible for the AI incident.
He explained that the avatars were initially intended to raise funds for church matters through merchandise sales but clarified that they had not gained any profits.
He expressed regret and apologized for using Quizon’s art without his consent, appealing for understanding and forgiveness from the community.
“I definitely have learned my lesson and will never do something impulsively as this in the coming future,” Lapura said.
Quizon’s experience calls for awareness regarding the ethics of using AI to generate “art” and how it concerns the Intellectual Property Rights of artists, especially in this digital age. (Dana Gracielle P. Quirante, UP Tacloban intern)