The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Hi everyone,
I want to bring up an issue... I know people mean well, but I feel we should be thinking about this and make a decision.
I wasn't able to work on the banner this time again, for health reasons. I just went to take a look at what everybody made.
To my horror, there were a few AI entries, and we even chose an AI banner. Is this something we want?
There was a person who used canva and photoshop and did quite a bit of effort to make something for us.
As an illustrator, this hurts me especially, since I know these images were created using stolen art by all of my colleagues. The issue is not just the theft, but then the hit on their assignments and income as a result of it.
Next to the impact on the arts (as well as on writers and their books we love so much), it impacts our environment enormously.
I know there will be some that don't agree and like the ease of it, but I'm hoping we can look at it and weigh our ethics...?

I don't know how to tell if AI, canva, or photoshop is used.

Susan A wrote: "I don't know how to tell if AI, canva, or photoshop is used."

There are several tells to see it by eye, like distortions, mistakes humans wouldn't make and things that don't make sense. (Text that is gibberish, someone with a weirdly shaped finger, decorations that seem logical at first glance, but if you look closer aren't any real recognizable thing, etc.)
But there are also plenty of free AI image detectors online, just like TinEye for colours.
So it wouldn't be hard to incorporate.

Oh and of course a clear tell is if an image looks too "clean" and smooth. Sometimes the images have a bit of a yellow hue.
And of course common sense... Who made this? Is this person an artist or hobbyist? Do they have a website or any presence on social media? Would someone legit make this and put in hours and hours and hours of work just to have a banner for an online forum for three months?

Those are good points. My point is as a non-professional, it's not my first instinct to not look for AI "tells".

You are a professional , you looked as these banners and felt horror. And then kind of chastised us for voting for them. I'm saying, from a non-professional point of view ... these were just pictures I voted on. I didn't occur to me verify the authenticity of them, perhaps I should have considered that. I don't have the skills, the time, or the interest to research them. If that was something that, ethically, should be required, I simply wouldn't vote.


There are established rules for submissions:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Oh! So it is already in the rules. I completely missed that.
I didn’t mean to chastise… Not the creators, who I’m sure meant well and just thought of it as a fun new tool, and especially not the voters. I understand I look at these sort of things with a different eye.
I was just hoping to have a dialogue about it and see wether we should update the rules.

Since it is in the rules already, maybe we could mention it in the next logo contests so it is clearer?
And for the mods, I’d be happy to help looking over images or answering questions to help you out…

I'm definitely not a professional but these images also scream AI to me. I really don't like how casual use is creeping into everything

Hopefully nobody is using AI to write reviews for the raffle. I doubt anyone has, but if there will be rules on AI use, text should be covered as well as images.

And creating tasks! - Just out of curiosity I asked Chat GPT (which I have only used once before in my life) to write a book challenge on the theme of Forests. In about a second, it came up with the one below. A number of the ideas wouldn't work for SRC as they are about the reader's personal life or include an activity. And as always with AI, they are bland. Our members do a much better job, but it's still rather scary .
🍃 The Challenge
🌲 Deep in the Woods — Read a book set primarily in a forest.
🦉 Night in the Forest — Read a book that takes place partly or entirely at night.
🐺 Wild Things — Read a book featuring a wild animal.
🍄 Something Strange — Read a book with a mysterious or magical forest.
🌿 Hidden Path — Read a book you discovered by chance.
🌧️ Rainy Canopy — Read a book while listening to rain or forest sounds.
🔥 Campfire Story — Read a book with a story-within-a-story or a tale being told.
🧭 Into the Unknown — Read a book about exploration or adventure.
🌳 Ancient Trees — Read a book published more than 20 years ago.
🦌 Forest Friend — Read a book recommended by a friend.
🌱 New Growth — Read a debut novel or a book by a new-to-you author.
🪵 Off the Beaten Path — Read a book from a genre you rarely choose.
🌙 Under the Stars — Read a book outdoors.
🦋 A Change of Season — Read a book that takes place across multiple seasons.
🌲 The Last Tree — Read a book about nature, conservation, or the environment.

Robin P wrote: "Hopefully nobody is using AI to write reviews for the raffle. I doubt anyone has, but if there will be rules on AI use, text should be covered as well as images.

And creating tasks! - Just out of ..."

Honestly, I really take my time with my reviews. I post them in a few places—my main Goodreads account, StoryGraph, Fable, a couple of Facebook groups, and in my book club when it’s our monthly pick. I also keep a separate document with super short summaries for myself. That way, if someone asks me for a recommendation, I can quickly search my list by genre, and if they want more details, I can just pull up my full review on Goodreads or StoryGraph.

Since I'm a stay-at-home mom and all my kids are in school now, I actually have the free time to sit down and work on these. I know AI can be a helpful tool, but I completely agree that seeing obviously AI-generated stuff everywhere gets annoying. I definitely don't think people should be trying to pass off AI content as their own work. At the same time, we have to keep in mind that most everyday design tools people already use—like Canva, Adobe Express, Pixlr, or VistaCreate—have built AI right into their platforms to help generate subtle background elements, clean up images, or tweak layout details.

That creative side is something I really enjoy, especially when the inspiration hits. For instance, I had a ton of ideas for fall because fall is my absolute favorite season. I'm already starting to brainstorm a few winter tasks, but I definitely won't have nearly as many ideas for it. Since winter is my least favorite season, I’m not even going to bother spending time making a logo or masthead for it. It’s just not worth the extra effort to me!

When I noticed the AI banner I thought maybe the mods hadn't taken creative entries this time in order to simplify things. I'm kind of shocked someone would submit something made by AI. That sucks for the people who took the time to create something original.

I personally hope not to see an AI banner again unless there is no other option. It's beautiful, but like Hannah said, it's stolen and we should be respectful to artists where we can.