Do you use AI tools and, if so, how?
Weiss: When AI was first introduced as a source of image making, its inaccuracies took just as long to correct as it would to start from scratch. And, by using it, I lost part of my authority over the end result. I still think that this is a major issue when using an AI tool to produce an original, scientifically accurate image.
Many AI tools are now being integrated into the software I use to create visualizations. I use them just as I would a brush or an eraser, to remove small artefacts or increase the background area by a few centimetres — not to build the main base of an image. This level of use maintains my agency over the work and avoids concerns about accuracy or copyright infringement.
Saharan: Yes, AI is entangled not only with ethical concerns, but also with questions of copyright, authorship, accountability and consent around training data. The images I create often communicate information that is sensitive, consequential or has not been visualized adequately before. That kind of work carries a level of responsibility that a generative AI tool cannot assume on your behalf.
I explore AI systems across the production pipeline — from research and ideation to visual production — to understand what they can and can’t do. But, so far, generative-AI tools haven’t entered my finished work. That’s not a blanket refusal, it’s a judgement call that I keep revisiting as the tools and their provenance evolve.
Marushchenko: I’m in a similar situation. In the studio I founded, we do not use AI tools in our design process. Our team includes PhD-level scientists who verify that every structural detail depicted is accurate.
d’Oliveira: In testing how AI tools work, I found that they are very good at rendering lights and shadows that look realistic. But they miss the mark on perspective, foreground and background, as well as accuracy. Ask an AI tool to recreate an animal, such as a dinosaur, from its skeleton and it will generate what it was trained on: a lot of bad art. It will also gather information from incorrect sources.
Wilson: I, too, make a conscious effort to not use any AI tools in illustrating or design. I am trying them out at the early research stages of a project when I’m gathering information. AI can help to seek out sources. But even there, I’m more comfortable defaulting to search engines such as Google Scholar to locate peer-reviewed papers.
