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Pangolin at Work #1 (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Reverendender@sh.itjust.works to c/adhd@lemmy.world

EDIT: It’s honestly hard to believe how intense and personal some of the hostility in this thread is. I understand objecting to something when there is a valid concern, especially about ethics or consent. But this is something else entirely. It feels less like people are engaging with the actual work and more like they are reacting to the mere presence of AI in any form, regardless of context.

I don’t think LLMs are universally good or bad. I think they are very very bad at a large number of things, especially when people try to use them as shortcuts in places where care, originality, or expertise (or human understanding and subsequent empathy) are required. But they are also extremely effective in other use cases when used with skill, intention, and thought. That is the position I hold. It is nuanced. It does not dismiss the criticisms people have raised, but it also does not treat every use of the technology as automatically unethical or invalid.

What I did was not a random one-line prompt into a generator. I gave deliberate, specific instructions about pose, anatomy, style, and tone. I gave feedback. I adjusted the inputs. I guided it through a process that produced something unique and original. The result is not a collage of stolen images. It is not a copy of anything that has ever existed. That is important context, and it is constantly ignored in these arguments.

There is a real difference between raising concerns in good faith and launching personal attacks at people who use a tool in a considered way. The people jumping into these threads with moral outrage are not engaging in objective analysis. They are repeating talking points as if AI art is some kind of singular personal enemy. It often feels like they are reacting based on something they heard someone else say, rather than thinking critically about what is in front of them.

And this is happening in a community that is supposed to be supportive of neurodivergent people. That is the part I find most maddening. There is room here for discussion and for disagreement. But instead of debate, we get judgment, condescension, rabid hostility, and attempts to shame people for trying something different. That is not the kind of environment anyone should want to foster.

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[-] msprout@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

AI can generate an absolutely perfect pangolin, but keyboards? Mathematically impossible!

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

I take it you didn’t like my comic, then?

[-] Soulg@ani.social 10 points 1 week ago

I'm not a fan of AI but I did like your comic premise.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 week ago

Since I can’t draw, but I still have ideas, this seemed like the best way. ADHDinos is basically like the same 3 images over and over and no one seems to mind that. Plus, I shudder at the thought of trying to vector trace all those pangolin scales. I’m glad you liked it though.

[-] synapse1278@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Just draw some doodles, you have enough talent to draw some simple characters, you'll get better over time and I am sure you'll have more fun doing it. Think of all the rage-comics 15 years ago, all trash level ms-paint art, massive and long lasting impact on pop-culture. Talent isn't required for memes, just ideas!

[-] T156@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

XKCD is literally stick figures, for example, and has more or less remained stick figures since its inception.

[-] gonzo-rand19@moist.catsweat.com 7 points 1 week ago

You don't have to vector trace. Just try your best freehand with simple shapes and get better over time. A lot of digital drawing software has pen smoothing and you can adjust the paths after the fact if you use Inkscape/Illustrator.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

I was going to say I don’t have the desire to devote the time it would take, but then I realized: I have never tried drawing digitally before. And I totally already have everything I need to do it. And now I am intrigued.

[-] FriendFatale@leminal.space 1 points 1 week ago

do it!! im serious!! learn to appreciate the hard work of creativity! it's a labor of love. your machines will not help you grow.

i deeply regret having used AI after experiencing the magic that is creation

[-] msprout@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

If Dinosaur Comics can write utterly classic comics using the same exact clipart every time, you can do it too.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I was honestly hoping the Lemmy anti-AI knee-jerk responses would not have bled over into this community, but clearly that hope was in vain.

[-] msprout@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Homie you're gonna face that everywhere, not just Lemmy. GenAI is built on the intellectual property theft of thousands of artists. Nobody is going to applaud you for taking an unethical shortcut.

Reality check: Most people DGAF. Check out the upvotes on the post to see how many people care.

[-] msprout@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

Look at the ratio between our two comments.

That's expected. It's mostly the vocal ones who are diving into the comments

[-] msprout@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the day is fine with me.

Well, that's strange. You said these were people who didn't give a fuck, but actually it sounds like they never knew in the first place.

[-] jwmgregory@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 week ago

come on over to db0 and hang out with us! would be welcome here. good comic.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

Everyone can draw. You mean that you aren't practiced yet, which is perfectly fine and everyone starts that way. If you want to make comics, then make comics. Don't waste time and energy on AI slop that doesn't bring the same meaning as something a person made, however inexperienced they may be.

[-] nailbar@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

This got me thinking.. Is there a place on Lemmy where you can post an idea, and others collaborate to improve it?

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago

Like a drawing, or like other stuff?

[-] nailbar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Like when you have a joke in mind but can't draw it, or when you write a song but can't get the melody right, and so on.

[-] Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

There's a place called fiverr that's pretty good for that...

[-] nailbar@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Yeah that's a great place if you're serious about it, but I was thinking more about doing stuff just for fun.

Just ignore the anti AI dumbasses and keep doing what you're doing. This is literally one of the best use cases for AI - to allow people to explore their creativity in the avenue of their choice.

[-] shneancy@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

it's not exploring shit though, you aren't learning how to make art by having an AI generate it for you. OP is exactly where they were before they "made" it, still as unable to create art as before, not a single tiny step forward.

[-] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 week ago

The author is exploring their comedian skills, not their drawing skills.

[-] shneancy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

clearly they want their comedian skill to be supported by an image of sorts, or they'd just write text

[-] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

clearly they want their comedian skill to be supported by an image of sort

it seems to me they got that.

[-] shneancy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

sniff sniff

smells like AI, come back with a handdrawn version or proof it's not

if you can't draw it's okay, draw it anyway, you won't learn by telling a water waster to do it for you

[-] hoch@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago

"You aren't allowed to make a quick joke unless you spend countless hours developing your art skills".

You people are weird.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works -2 points 1 week ago

This sums it up in a nutshell. I actually plan to work on my drawing skills because now I can do it digitally and that’s now interesting. But I already had this image that I generated a while back and I thought of a good use for it and I thought it was funny and relevant. Fuck me I guess 🤷‍♂️.

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

Pangolin had it coming, setting up meetings without looking at coworkers' calendars. Fuck you, discount armadillo, you're not more important than me!

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

How dare you besmirch pangolin. Pangolin is best animal.

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

He abuses his cuteness to avoid consequences. He's a sociopath, is what he is!

[-] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

Don't listen to the haters, keep exploring your creativity. If you feel like drawing, go for it. if not, or you don't have enough time, use whatever tool you want instead. I would only caution on getting too attached to proprietary tools like OpenAI.

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 week ago

Was a nice comic! Keep it up, and remember to ignore the vocal minority of idiots. You can tell from the upvote ratio that most people DGAF that the image is AI.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 week ago

That’s OK. I’m sure all those negative people were capable of drawing outstanding pangolins before they ever saw my comic. Because they absolutely definitely knew what those were, and could draw all those scales freehand from memory.

[-] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago

Wait, what? Are we not allowed to criticize AI art unless it's of something that we can provably draw ourselves? Lol

[-] FriendFatale@leminal.space 1 points 1 week ago

nobody is telling you you have to freehand from memory. stop making up strawmen

this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2025
118 points (82.8% liked)

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