San Diego Comic-Con Updates Its Art Show Regulations To Ban AI

San Diego Comic-Con has updated its Art Show hall participation guidelines to prohibit the exhibition and sale of AI-generated content.

Under the event’s Exhibiting Your Artwork regulations, Comic-Con’s rules now include:

(3) Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability.

Previously, SDCC AI works were allowed to be exhibited, but not sold at the event. Guidelines for the last two years read:

(5) Material produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be placed in the show, but only as Not-For-Sale (NFS). It must be clearly marked as AI-produced, not simply listed as a print. If one of the parameters in its creation was something similar to “Done in the style of <specific artist>,” that information must be added to the description. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability.

SDCC’s Art Show is a long-running, gallery-style showcase dedicated to original artwork inspired by animation, comics, pop culture, fantasy, and science fiction. Held at the nearby Manchester Grand Hyatt, it operates independently from the main exhibit spaces and is open to the public without a badge. The show features work from both professional and emerging artists, regularly presenting hundreds of unique pieces for display and sale, and includes exhibitions tied to the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

The rule change wasn’t announced with any fanfare or press release that we’re aware of. We found out about it in this Times of San Diego article, but it stands out as a reaffirmation of Comic-Con’s longstanding commitment to supporting the creative work of human artists after a two-year misstep with the previous rules.