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ChatGPT Generated New Yorker-Style Cartoons With Real Artists’ Signatures
Nieman Lab documented more than 15 New Yorker cartoonists whose signatures appeared on ChatGPT generated images without their permission or compensation. A viral cartoon signed “BLOPER” was not drawn or signed by Brendan Loper, yet people asked him whether it was his work.
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Key takeaways
- Nieman Lab documented more than 15 New Yorker cartoonists whose signatures appeared on ChatGPT generated images without their permission or compensation.
- A viral cartoon signed “BLOPER” was not drawn or signed by Brendan Loper, yet people asked him whether it was his work.
- Condé Nast’s licensing deal did not authorize training on New Yorker cartoons; reported safeguards did not prevent every signed image from appearing.
AI Prompt
openai.comCreate a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: What did Nieman Lab find about ChatGPT generating New Yorker-style cartoons bearing real cartoonists’ signatures without their permission or. Article summary: Nieman Lab found that ChatGPT was generating New Yorker-style cartoons bearing the signatures of more than 15 real cartoonists, without their permission or payment. The problem was not just imitation of a visual style: a. Topic tags: general. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts with fake numbers, clickbait thumbna
Nieman Lab documented more than 15 New Yorker cartoonists whose signatures appeared on AI-generated cartoons, without their permission or compensation. The issue goes beyond a resemblance to the magazine’s cartoon style: a real artist’s signature can make an image appear to be their work. 20
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Why the “BLOPER” image caused confusion
One widely shared AI-generated cartoon carried the pen name “BLOPER,” Brendan Loper’s signature. Loper had not drawn or signed the image, but people contacted him to ask whether it was his. 18
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That reaction points to why signatures matter. Loper described his signature as a “certificate of authenticity”: a mark he uses to identify work as his own. 17 When it appears on an image he did not make, the attribution can mislead viewers as well as blur the distinction between an artist’s work and generated output.
What the licensing deal did—and did not—cover
OpenAI had a content-licensing agreement with Condé Nast, The New Yorker’s parent company. But the reporting says that agreement did not authorize training on New Yorker cartoons. A deal covering some publisher content should not be read as blanket permission to use every kind of work or reproduce individual artists’ signatures. 29
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Safeguards did not end the reported problem
After Nieman Lab raised questions, reports said OpenAI added restrictions for some prompts. Some attempts prompted a guardrail warning, but reports also described signed images continuing to appear. 22
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The documented images show that the system could generate cartoons carrying real artists’ signatures; they do not establish exactly how it acquired each signature. Nor do the examples alone settle whether model training or particular outputs infringe copyright. Those questions remain distinct from the immediate attribution problem: an AI-generated image should not be mistaken for work an artist actually made.
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What is the short answer to "ChatGPT Generated New Yorker-Style Cartoons With Real Artists’ Signatures"?
Nieman Lab documented more than 15 New Yorker cartoonists whose signatures appeared on ChatGPT generated images without their permission or compensation.
What are the key points to validate first?
Nieman Lab documented more than 15 New Yorker cartoonists whose signatures appeared on ChatGPT generated images without their permission or compensation. A viral cartoon signed “BLOPER” was not drawn or signed by Brendan Loper, yet people asked him whether it was his work.
What should I do next in practice?
Condé Nast’s licensing deal did not authorize training on New Yorker cartoons; reported safeguards did not prevent every signed image from appearing.
Sources
mashable.comChatGPT reportedly generating real signatures of New Yorker artists and adding them to AI images
theverge.com‘I'm not a territorial person, but my name is my name.'
hyper.aiChatGPT Appends Real Signatures to Fake New Yorker ...
newsbytesapp.comChatGPT is signing its cartoons with real artists' names