---
title: 'The Real Tragedy of AI'
pubDate: '12/2/25'
tags: ['Tech']
---

The other day, I read [a report from Eurogamer](https://www.eurogamer.net/fortnite-fans-are-saying-no-to-ai-slop-after-spotting-what-they-believe-are-ai-generated-images-in-game) about fans of the online shooter game Fortnite getting up-in-arms about alleged AI images in the game. Specifically an image of a character with nine toes - 5 on one foot, 4 on the other. After reading the article, and looking at the image, I was convinced the criticism was valid.

Earlier today however, I read [an article on IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/fortnite-artist-responds-as-fans-claim-game-now-includes-examples-of-blatant-ai-artwork-including-a-nine-toed-character-in-a-hammock) that raised some doubts for me about the use of generative AI artwork in Fortnite.

The truth is, I don’t know what to believe.

Art in all its forms has become exhausting to consume, outside of creators I personally trust to not use AI tools to generate their creations. Stumbling upon some cool art online from someone I never heard of before used to be an exciting experience, but now I find myself immediately suspicious of everything I see.

As the articles I reference show, I’m clearly not alone in that attitude, and it’s hard not to be. I think that’s the real tragedy of generative AI; it causes us to doubt everything, including actual creative works from real, human artists. It makes what should be an enjoyable part of the human experience into a chore.

The constant AI vigilance has got to be something artists consider whenever they share something they created, how can it not be? Hell, it’s something I think about whenever I'm writing for this blog, something I wouldn’t consider remotely close to art. I’m constantly over-analyzing my writing, asking myself, “does this sound like something AI would write?”

The unfortunate truth is, even if the AI bubble pops tomorrow, the technology isn’t going away. The genie is out of the bottle. Given that reality, how do we stay vigilant without flagging someone’s work as AI slop when it isn’t?
