#ethical AI in branding

[niggadiffusion]

AI Tools for Crafting a Creative Brand: A Fresh Perspective

In today’s fast-paced digital world, creative entrepreneurs face the exhilarating task of carving out a brand identity that speaks to their audience. The rise of generative AI tools has turned this process on its head, offering a new kind of innovation that boosts creativity while simplifying brand development. For creative ventures like Majik Ink Creations, these tools aren’t just…

[bleaksqueak]

I haven't been online most all day, and now I log in to see AI generated junk on the promotion radar. Ew.

[projectchampionz]

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IBADAN AS A STUDY AREA

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IBADAN AS A STUDY AREA ABSTRACT This research explores the role of sustainable practices in tourism development, with a focus on the National Museum Ibadan, Nigeria. The study investigates the current sustainable practices at the museum, their impact on tourism development, the challenges faced in integrating sustainability, and…

[adgully]

Stay Ahead with the Latest Marketing News: Trends, Tips, and Insights

In the fast-paced world of marketing, staying informed about the latest trends and developments is crucial for success. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, keeping up with the marketing latest news ensures you can adapt strategies, capitalize on emerging trends, and maintain a competitive edge. Let's delve into some of the most exciting updates and insights shaping the marketing landscape today.

1. Embracing the Power of AI in Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize marketing strategies across industries. From predictive analytics to personalized customer experiences, AI-powered tools are reshaping how brands engage with their audiences. Recent advancements in AI-driven chatbots, content generation, and data analysis are empowering marketers to optimize campaigns and enhance ROI like never before.

2. The Rise of Video Marketing

Video content remains a dominant force in digital marketing. With platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels gaining momentum, brands are increasingly leveraging video to engage audiences and convey messages effectively. The latest trends emphasize short-form video content, live streaming, and interactive videos, reflecting evolving consumer preferences and behaviors.

3. Influencer Marketing Evolves

Influencer marketing continues to evolve, moving beyond mere endorsements to genuine collaborations and long-term partnerships. Micro-influencers are gaining traction for their niche audiences and high engagement rates, while macro-influencers and celebrities remain powerful channels for broad reach. Authenticity and transparency are key as consumers demand genuine connections with brands through influencers they trust.

4. Data Privacy and Consumer Trust

With increasing scrutiny on data privacy laws and consumer trust, marketers are prioritizing ethical data practices and transparency. GDPR compliance, CCPA regulations, and evolving global standards shape how brands collect, manage, and utilize consumer data. Building trust through responsible data handling and transparent communication is essential for maintaining brand reputation and customer loyalty.

5. Omnichannel Experiences

The shift towards omnichannel marketing continues to redefine customer journeys. Consumers expect seamless interactions across multiple touchpoints, from social media platforms to physical stores. Marketers are integrating AI-driven personalization, real-time messaging, and unified customer data to deliver cohesive experiences that drive engagement and conversions across channels.

6. Sustainability and Purpose-Driven Marketing

Consumers are increasingly conscious of brands' environmental impact and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Sustainable practices, ethical sourcing, and purpose-driven initiatives resonate with socially aware audiences. Brands that align with causes, advocate for sustainability, and demonstrate genuine commitment to social good can strengthen brand loyalty and appeal to conscientious consumers.

7. The Role of Content Marketing

Content marketing remains a cornerstone of digital strategies, focusing on delivering valuable, relevant content to attract and retain audiences. SEO optimization, long-form articles, interactive content, and podcasts are effective in driving organic traffic and enhancing brand authority. Marketers are exploring diverse content formats and distribution channels to engage diverse audience segments effectively.

Conclusion

Keeping abreast of the "marketing latest news" is not just about staying informed—it's about leveraging insights and trends to innovate and excel in a dynamic industry. Whether you're adapting AI technologies, harnessing the power of video content, or navigating evolving consumer expectations, staying proactive and informed will empower you to drive growth and achieve marketing success.

Stay tuned to ongoing developments, experiment with emerging strategies, and embrace change as opportunities to elevate your marketing efforts. With a strategic approach and a commitment to continuous learning, you can navigate the evolving marketing landscape with confidence and creativity.

Remember, in marketing, staying ahead starts with staying informed. Explore, adapt, and thrive in an ever-evolving digital era where innovation and relevance define success.

[cheol-e-kat]

𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐢 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮…

would you buy them? would you be nice to them?

𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫: 0.6k

pairing: k.mg x f!reader

summary: in an alternate universe where ai bots exist, y/n's friends surprise her with an ai assistant, and she has no clue what to do with this happy, perky, chatty invader who looks and seems like the most understanding person to exist...except he isn't human

genre: sci-fi au, ai!mingyu, human!reader, possessive mingyu

teaser warnings: explicit language, mentioned nudity, mentioned anxiety and depression

𝐚𝐝: 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐀𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐢! 𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐀𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝟗 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬! 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐀𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐀𝐢 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝟐𝟎% 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮𝐀𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬!

✮⋆˙

y/n knew she was staring, but she was in disbelief. she couldn’t believe what was being unboxed in her foyer. a bot. a fucking ai bot that she certainly didn’t order. 

the technician was at work unwrapping the bot and chatting away about the manual, aka a binder that was around 3000 pages of information that y/n would never read. 

the only things that really sank in before the technician initiated the ‘wake’ sequence was that there was a case of ai brand water, snacks, and a subscription for the special hair and body wash needed to protect the longevity of the bot’s skin and hair. 

y/n wanted to cry - she could barely remember to feed herself, despite the approximately 5,000 reminders she set, and now she needed to feed a bot…an ai bot that probably knew how to take care of itself and an entire family based on what the technician was saying. 

she knew joshua had been mentioning a bot for a while, but she had no idea her well-meaning friend would actually order one and have it shipped to her house! 

✮⋆˙

she remembered the last time they had coffee, when joshua had told y/n that she looked like shit, with his annoying little smile. 

he had gone on, “you know they make them for all kinds of reasons now, even for things like you know, mental health things,” he was trying to be delicate. 

y/n had rolled her eyes, “depression and anxiety, are those the things you're talking about? i’m not going to die if you mention them,” she had poked at her pastry in annoyance. 

joshua had rolled his eyes in return, “i mean, i don’t know, it might be nice to know that maybe you’ll remember to eat and shower if there’s basically a person there to remind you,” he shrugged, looking a bit frustrated. 

y/n had just sat silently until joshua changed the subject to his own life, aka how happy he was. 

✮⋆˙

and now y/n was looking at a bot. a thing that she personally found ethically fraught - the existence of bots disturbed her. she refused to have any in her house outside of her phone and a few speakers. 

she did tend to ask her phone a lot of things. but it wasn’t like she was holding a conversation with her phone. she wasn’t sitting down with her phone and asking it deep questions. she worried her lower lip as she saw more and more bubble wrap and foam being pulled away from the bot. 

she hated that she noticed how the bot looked - she noticed his high cheekbones and the pretty shape of his lips. she glanced away quickly, feeling like a creep, like she was intruding on its privacy. she turned away completely when she realized that the bot hadn’t come clothed. 

but she made the mistake of glancing back to respond to the technician about something, just in time to see the bot’s ample, flaccid cock, surrounded by downy pubic hair. she flushed in embarrassment and wished she could go hide in her room. she knew there were bots specifically for sex, but did one meant for mental health really need to be that fully equipped, she wondered.  

everything about this made her uncomfortable. she had already sent joshua a long string of text messages, mostly along the lines of ‘what the fuck is happening?’, but joshua was ignoring her. 

she sighed but didn’t dare turn back around. instead, she slunk over to the living room sofa and plopped onto the cushions. she made sure her robe was tightly around her, so she could lie there, pretending that she could blend in with the sofa until this was over. 

unfortunately, she heard the technician’s chirpy voice announce that the bot was ready for her review. y/n groaned and shifted to stand slowly - she glanced quickly to be sure the bot was at least dressed. luckily, it was. 

she made her way over to the bot. all boxes and packing materials were gone. 

the technician smiled brightly, “so are you ready to meet him?”

yea, idk i love ai aus - sooo hopefully you all will like this too - yay possessive mingyu (in the future - you don't know about that yet ^^)

♡ kat

p.s. he is gluten free tho >.<

in the meantime

⋆.˚ my [master list] if you want to read more

⋆.˚ if you want to be tagged in my posts, go [here]

[ taglist ] ☁︎ @syluslittlecrows [e] ☁︎ @gyuguys [e] ☁︎ @tinyelfperson [e] ☁︎ @unlikelysublimekryptonite [e] ☁︎ @livelaughloveseventeen [e] ☁︎ @codeinebelle [e] ☁︎ @ateez-atiny380 [e] ☁︎ @mingcouper [e] ☁︎ @hanniebub [e] ☁︎ @perfectiondazesworld [e] ☁︎ @scoupshawty [e] ☁︎ @peachytokki [e] ☁︎

[genericpuff]

I'm sorry, but this should come as a shock to absolutely no one.

Just a little bit of 'insider info' (and by 'insider' I mean I was a part of the beta testing crew a few years ago) Webtoons has been messing with AI tools for years. You can literally play test that very same AI tool that I beta-tested here:

Mind you, this is just an AI Painter, similar to the Clip Studio Colorize tool, but it goes to show where WT's priorities are headed. I should mention, btw, that this tool is incredibly useless for anyone not creating a Korean-style webtoon, like you can deadass tell it was trained exclusively on the imports because it can't handle any skin tone outside of white (trying to use darker colors just translates as "shadows" to the program, meaning it'll just cast some fugly ass shadows over a white-toned character no matter how hard you try) and you just know the AI wouldn't know what to do with itself if you gave it an art style that didn't exactly match with the provided samples lmao

And let's be real, can we really expect the company that regularly exploits, underpays, and overworks its creators to give a damn about the ethical concerns of AI? They're gonna take the path of least resistance to make the most money possible.

So the fact that we're now seeing AI comics popping up on Webtoons left and right - and now, an actual "Webtoon AI" branding label - should come as zero shock to anyone. Webtoons is about quantity over quality and so AI is the natural progression of that.

So yeah, if you were looking for any sign to check out other platforms outside of Webtoons, this is it. Here are some of my own recommendations:

ComicFury - Independently run, zero ads, zero subscription costs (though I def recommend supporting them on Patreon if you're able), full control over site appearance, optional hosting for only the cost of the domain name, and best of all, strictly anti-AI. Not allowed, not even with proper labelling or disclosure. Full offense to the tech bro hacks, eat shit.

GlobalComix - Very polished hosting site that offers loads of monetization tools for creators without any exclusive contracts or subscriptions needed. They do offer a subscription program, but that's purely for reading the comics on the site that are exclusively behind paywalls. Not strictly anti-AI but does require in their ToS that AI comics be properly labelled and disclosed, whether they're made partially or fully with AI, to ensure transparency for readers who want to avoid AI comics.

Neocities - If you want to create your own site the good ole' fashioned way (i.e. HTML / CSS) this is the place. Independently run, offers a subscription plan for people who want more storage and bandwidth but it only costs $5/month so it's very inexpensive, and even without that subscription cost you won't have to deal with ads or corporate management bullshit.

Be safe out there pals, don't be afraid to set out into the unknown if it means protecting your work and keeping your control as a creator. Know your rights, know your power.

[thewertsearch]

GT: Well ive thought about it. GT: Even went downstairs to check the great vaulty doodad. GT: And predictably the infernal contraption is nowhere to be found. TT: Well yeah, Jake. TT: That's sort of the point. TT: Thrill of the hunt and all.

Ok, I think I get what's going on here.

Jake's Dreambot is probably the last remaining source of uranium on the entire island, and the AR is turning its retrieval into a game of hide-and-seek.

I'm not sure why Jake hadn't already retrieved this particular chunk of uranium, especially since he has no use for the robot himself. Maybe he was keeping it operational for sentimental reasons?

TT: I thought you liked to manicure the image of a dude who shits his pants over a good adventure. […] GT: I mean i wouldnt put it in a way like that or come out against a solid policy of clean trousers. But yes adventure is awesome. GT: I just prefer the idea of adventures which i can actually win.

Jake's picturing a LIVING GRANDSON SMACKDOWN - and, frankly, so am I. That robot's being piloted by an absurdly advanced AI, and I'm pretty sure Jake doesn't have any combat experience.

Winning, in this case, is shorthand for 'waiting for the AR to take pity on you'.

TT: It seems there is a 76.10395784% chance you are pussying out on me. Are you pussying out on me, Jake?

Now, to be fair, that one would only work if Jake had agreed to this challenge beforehand. After all, you can't pussy out of something you never pussied into.

GT: It seems it seems it seems!!! GT: It seems there is a million percent chance that you say it seems way too much and do it just to sound more like a lame robot from a movie and also probably just to piss me off! […] TT: Have you ever stopped to think that while I may be bound to processes inside the glasses of a real and incredibly cool guy, my algorithms in cognitive totality comprise a conscious entity not far short of the experiential and emotional complexity of a human being? GT: Oh malarkey. GT: YOU ARE A TIN CAN. ROBOTS DONT HAVE FEELINGS.

Jake, it's been sixty seconds since you complained about him pretending not to have feelings.

TT: I do have feelings. And you're shitting on them. TT: It sucks. GT: Oh. GT: Um. GT: Im sorry then if thats the case.

Well, that's something, at least - but I don't think Jake really understands why the AR is offended, so I'm worried it's just going to happen again in their next argument.

How long has the Responder existed for, anyway? Jake seems familiar with his schtick, so he's probably not brand-new - but at the same time, Jake's surprised apology makes it sound like the AR has only recently started to express feelings.

Maybe the AR has existed for years, but hasn't been sentient for years. Like, it really did just start as a primitive response script, but Bro kept uploading more of his personality onto it, until it slowly began to think and feel. Fascinating idea, I have to say.

GT: It can just be difficult to drum up sympathy for a program that presents itself as an impostor so often. GT: Maybe if you werent so ready to insist you were the genuine article all the time? Or didnt make it so confusing for me… GT: I think it would be best if we henceforth treated you as a totally distinct… uh… THING from my buddy.

Hey, it's not like the AR can stop imitating Bro. Even if he wanted to have his own identity, he's currently bound to the response script of someone else's Pesterchum account. When he talks, he's forced to do it through Bro's handle.

All evidence points to the Responder being a thinking, feeling being with his own inner world - which makes it a little ethically dubious to force him to be Bro's secretary. The guy shouldn't be treated as a bargain-bin Bro, the same way that Davesprite wasn't a backup Dave. We all saw how that ended, and it sure wasn't pretty.

[beatingtheouijaboardallegations]

forever tired of our voices being turned into commodity.

forever tired of thorough medaocrity in the AAC business. how that is rewarded. How it fails us as users. how not robust and only robust by small small amount communication systems always chosen by speech therapists and funded by insurance.

forever tired of profit over people.

forever tired of how companies collect data on every word we’ve ever said and sell to people.

forever tired of paying to communicate. of how uninsured disabled people just don’t get a voice many of the time. or have to rely on how AAC is brought into classrooms — which usually is managed to do in every possible wrong way.

forever tired of the branding and rebranding of how we communicate. Of this being amazing revealation over and over that nonspeakers are “in there” and should be able to say things. of how every single time this revelation comes with pre condition of leaving the rest behind, who can’t spell or type their way out of the cage of ableist oppression. or are not given chance & resources to. Of the branding being seen as revolution so many times and of these companies & practitioners making money off this “revolution.” of immersion weeks and CRP trainings that are thousands of dollars and wildly overpriced letterboards, and of that one nightmare Facebook group g-d damm it. How this all is put in language of communication freedom. 26 letters is infinite possibilities they say - but only for the richest of families and disabled people. The rest of us will have to live with fewer possibilities.

forever tired of engineer dads of AAC users who think they can revolutionize whole field of AAC with new terrible designed apps that you can’t say anything with them. of minimally useful AI features that invade every AAC app to cash in on the new moment and not as tool that if used ethically could actually help us, but as way of fixing our grammar our language our cultural syntax we built up to sound “proper” to sound normal. for a machine, a large language model to model a small language for us, turn our inhuman voices human enough.

forever tired of how that brand and marketing is never for us, never for the people who actually use it to communicate. it is always for everyone around us, our parents and teachers paras and SLPs and BCBAs and practitioners and doctors and everyone except the person who ends up stuck stuck with a bad organized bad implemented bad taught profit motivated way to talk. of it being called behavior problems low ability incompetence noncompliance when we don’t use these systems.

you all need to do better. We need to democritize our communication, put it in our own hands. (My friend & communication partner who was in Occupy Wall Street suggested phrase “Occupy AAC” and think that is perfect.) And not talking about badly made non-robust open source apps either. Yes a robust system needs money and recources to make it well. One person or community alone cannot turn a robotic voice into a human one. But our human voice should not be in hands of companies at all.

(this is about the Tobii Dynavox subscription thing. But also exploitive and capitalism practices and just lazy practices in AAC world overall. Both in high tech “ mainstream “ AAC and methods that are like ones I use in sense that are both super stigmatized and also super branded and marketed, Like RPM and S2C and spellers method. )

[niggadiffusion]

AI Tools for Crafting a Creative Brand: A Fresh Perspective

In today’s fast-paced digital world, creative entrepreneurs face the exhilarating task of carving out a brand identity that speaks to their audience. The rise of generative AI tools has turned this process on its head, offering a new kind of innovation that boosts creativity while simplifying brand development. For creative ventures like Majik Ink Creations, these tools aren’t just…

[olderthannetfic]

Do you think deepfakes count as fictional, reality or a whole other thing.

I ask this because it's genuinely the biggest news in the kpop space currently. Deepfakes of idols have always existed, I've known about them since 2016 when i first became a fan and tbh, I didn't think much about them. Also, I'm sure people have been editing celebrities and people they know into porn for as long as they've had the ability to. It's just much more accessible and easy to do now.

However, the issue has blown up both internationally and in Korea after a middle school student committed suicide due to being deep faked.

The discussion is now if this counts as sexual harassment and abuse, or is it rpf? It's been a kpop staple for years and people are drawing parallels between it and fanfic. to me deep fakes are worse because they're meant to look exactly like the idols. It's difficult to distinguish reality while fanfiction is just that. Fanfic. No one is reading it and thinking it's really real and the idols actually do the freak nasty after work or smth.

What are your thoughts? I ask bc you and your followers generally are more nuanced and I'm interested in your thoughts on the matter.

--

I've been asked this exact question a number of times. The closest thing is, of course, the photomanips that were hugely popular in some parts of fandom in like 2005.

The difference between those (or the same thing done with better technology now) is that they're openly branded as fake. RPF is the same way. It's posted to fannish archives or on fanworks-oriented social media accounts. It often has watermarks on it indicating it's a fanwork, and that's assuming it isn't... like... a photomanip of somebody as a centaur or something. Fanfic, even fanfic by tinhats, is labeled as fic, not as tabloid news.

Deepfakes intended for harassment are presented as real. A shitty person could take certain types of fan art and repurpose them for this, sure, but that's not the fault of the fan artist. Disguising the fact that this is fan-made (or, well, hater-made) art is the whole point.

How realistic the art is isn't the main issue: it's whether they're pretending it's real.

Now, is drawing cartoony offensive art of your middle school classmate harassment? It could be. Even if it's obviously art and not a photo, it could certainly be used intentionally to bully. A lot of things can be part of a bullying campaign. It's obvious how fake photos could easily be more traumatic and cause more trouble more quickly, but there isn't really a huge difference between known-to-be-fake "photos" and cartoony rude art, nor is there a huge difference between fake photo "evidence" and lying gossip "evidence".

The intent and the social context are what matter here. The photorealism just makes it easier to achieve a specific bullying aim.

--

But, yes, given the current technological situation, if you are a person who uses AI to make celebrity porn or something, the ethical thing to do is to watermark the hell out of it and/or make it less photorealistic and/or make sure it's posted to some porn site with attribution where people can easily go to debunk it should it escape containment and be passed around as The Real Thing. You can't control what assholes do, but you can at least put some roadblocks in place so they can't misuse your stuff as easily.

[aokozaki]

Now regardless of the ethics of generatuive AI it does seem like a bit of a branding misstep for the "challenge yourself with a tight but achievable writing deadline" group to team up with the "churn out lots of text quickly" machine.

[cursecuelebre]

Witch/Tarot PSA: DO NOT BUY COUNTERFEIT DECKS.

What is a counterfeit deck?

These are “decks” are illegal manufacture of actual real tarot decks that are not created by the actual publishing houses or the artist or author. These were copy pasted terribly on small cheap card stock in plastic folded boxes rather than the regular boxes that the publishing company would use. These cards will not sometimes credit the author or artist, do not use the copyrighted company which is illegal and it will not come with a guidebook but a QR code on the back.

Why are they bad?

Yes buying regular and legit decks can be expensive in my country US it’s about $30 if the deck is brand new. Not that expensive but if you can’t spare $30 save your money or wait till they go on sale. Tarot is a luxury not a necessity remember that. When one buy these decks their money will not go to the artist or author or even publishing company but a Chinese factory most likely a sweatshop that are treating their workers terribly. I’d rather pay full priced for an artist and authors hardwork that they deserve knowing they put their blood, sweat, and tears for. Also creating these inauthentic decks harms the environment as well.

Keep in mind publishing houses like Llewelyn or Us Game systems are not big, their not penguin books or Harper Collins these are small publishing companies that need to have a percentage of the sales.

Author Ciro Marchetti known for his Glided Tarot said that he doesn’t want to continue his art career for tarot because of this reason, of his deck being illegal pirated and sold for a very cheap price that isn’t worth it because the quality is terrible and unethical. It affects the artists and authors mostly because their work is being produced by companies that they won’t get rightfully paid for.

Also here’s one of the most messed up thing I discovered, I love my small metaphysical shops and my family likes to explore all kinds of shops in my state of Connecticut. But when I go into a shop and I see those counterfeit decks now unlike Temu where they sell them for less than $10 these owners would sell them for full price. This is a scam because people who are unaware just brought a pirated item thinking it’s legit and actually produced by an actual publishing company when it’s a cheaply made deck and the pictures are terrible quality very pixelated. I get angry when I see these decks and I’m taking my business somewhere else.

There have been cases where people are selling AI versions of tarot decks for instance, The Dark Wood Tarot by Sasha Graham (wonderful deck highly recommend) the art was stolen and reused for a AI tarot deck that used the same name and everything. Beware of that and I know that isn’t a common but AI tarot exists so be careful especially on sites like Etsy, Etsy has a lot of AI decks, do your research and message the seller if possible at times the seller will even put in the bio of what it is their selling if it’s made from AI.

How to Prevent It

Spread awareness, US game systems made an excellent statement on counterfeit decks and telling customers how to spot them. If you see counterfeit decks in your metaphysical shop you can confront them if you want I know confrontations can be difficult especially for small businesses but again it’s important to bring it up even asking politely, “I noticed you have counterfeit decks and selling for full price why is that?” But if not take your business elsewhere maybe leave a review warning others about them. But I find it hard to believe that a lot of these shop owners don’t know what their doing when selling these decks, unless they’re very irresponsible or just don’t care about ethics of business or even laws of their business.

Cues when you are checking a counterfeit deck?

Does it have the artist’s and author’s name sometimes the person is both author and artist.

Does it come with a guidebook when the normal deck usually does. Some of these illegal decks will remove “guidebook” from the title and have a small QR Code on the back of these decks that’s your NUMBER ONE CLUE when you spot these decks THEY DO NOT HAVE GUIDEBOOKS BUT QR CODES FOR THE SAID GUIDEBOOK. THEIR VERY SMALL COMPARE TO THE AUTHENTIC DECKS.

Do they put the Publishing Company’s name for copyright? For instance those annoying US Game systems borders usually will have their copyright (within good reason to not let the cards to be ripped off that’s why you don’t see many us game system tarot rip offs). To spot the copyright title it’s on the box usually on the back, it will be small but it will have ©️ then the publishing company’s name.

Do you know of the tarot deck is a mini? Sometimes authors and publishers will republish regular decks for minis. Be sure the deck says mini or look up to see if the publishing company republished a tarot mini compare the decks if they match.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think having to model would have been damaging to Adrien when his mother was still with him?

Potentially controversial take here, but no, I don't think child acting is a terrible thing that should be illegal and child models are just a variant of child actors. Acting in commercials or movies is arguably more serious than something like community theater or local ads, but the risks aren't actually all that different. No matter the level of the production, the risk for abuse is there. It's not something limited to Hollywood. So I have no issue with child stars as a general concept. I think I've only ever hinted at this in my stuff, but I can actually picture a scenario in which Adrien got into modeling as an act of love.

His mother was a professional actress and Adrien very clearly enjoys acting. I could absolutely see Emilie recognizing his talents and getting him involved in commercials and modeling shoots for the company so that he can try acting in an environment that she can fully control (which is not concerning given that Adrien has clearly been modeling for several years, so he started young.)

I think most "good" parents would be super hesitant to let a little kid work with people they don't know, but with Emilie's connections and the success of Gabriel's company? Adrien going into an acting career actually makes a lot of sense. Especially if Emilie acted as his agent and was always on set to make sure he was okay.

Adrien being a model only becomes concerning when we get things like the super creepy Alliance AI-Adrien. Stuff that Adrien clearly isn't okay with and that should never have been considered to begin with (you literally see the model in his underwear when Soquline is showing off the fact that you can dress him up in Jubilation.) If Adrien was actually enjoying the work and the work was all ethical? Then it wouldn't be a problem.

Creative fields are rife with abuse and poor working conditions, but they're also a source of joy for many. Minors working in these types of fields is an incredibly complex topic, but I can't view it as inherently bad. I've known too many kids who legitimately loved acting or playing sports or whatever creative thing they were into.

Oh, and random side note, but it's super weird how the show plays Adrien's fame. He's fashion model, not a movie star. He would not be as famous as the show tries to make him. I actually researched this a while back to make sure France didn't have some sort of model-obsession and I couldn't find anything (btw, please let me know if I missed something and this is wrong).

I mention all of this because I think fashion modeling is potentially a much safer way to let a kid do some acting. Commercials and one-off fashion shoots are much smaller commitments than movies and TV shows and they carry way less risk of super star fame. I actually get distracted when fanfics have Gabriel constantly pulling Adrien out of school for fashion shoots for two reasons: first, that appears to be highly illegal in France. Second, how much marketing material is the Gabriel brand supposedly producing??? Especially since Adrien seems to just be a teen model and not model for the adult line, which would be standard for the industry. You don't really become a full fledged model doing things like runways until you're at least 16. (Btw, guess what age I often scale Adrien up to? There's a reason for that.)

As far as I can tell, most models have to work with multiple brands and companies to make good money. An exclusive deal with a single company should mean that your schedule is pretty relaxed, which is another reason I could buy a loving parent letting Adrien model. Modeling, commercials, and voice acting are actually a fantastic set of options for someone who wanted to do some acting work while still going to school. It is incredibly easy to take the setup the show gave us and use it to make Adrien a child star who wasn't exploited.

[plaguedoctormemes]

i'm not deleting my tumblr blogs but this whole debacle with the AI stuff is discouraging me to at least not post original content here and limit my time on social media in general. Also to be clear on my stance on AI, which I think is very much influenced by my background as both an artist and a professional graphic designer: I think it can be a very useful tool and I don't even necessarily inherently find it completely harmful. Some forms of AI are already well used and completely normalized, but I find most of the time generative AI as we know it is pretty harmful and its harms outweighs its benefits currently (largely grifts, scams and misinfo). It needs regulation desperately, but old cunt politicians are too dumb to really care about or understand how important the issue is right now. I do not believe that AI will simply peter off or crash. From a marketing standpoint, i feel like AI usage will cool off or become more specialized (like creating whole machines *just* trained on individual brands for personal use and whatnot) but I have no idea how far away that would be. I just believe there might come a time where everyone is over the "spectacle" of generative AI and will find it inaffective or inherently associated with cheapness. At least in the most base sense in advertising, it is generally much better to have your own photographs and original branded artwork as it proves authenticity. You can only see a illusionist do so many tricks before you're bored by them and expect them, and we're already getting to the point where even the average Joe is tired of hearing about AI and the future, and at least when it comes to art and writing i just... don't care? i don't give a shit about it. BACK TO TUMBLR: I'm aware that its likely that mine and everyone elses' posts here have already been scraped. My thing is that it's more the symbolism of Tumblr's "opt-out" choice: memorial blogs, inactive blogs, and so on are going to be scraped without consent. No banners or pop ups to notify users of this change, you either have to either HAPPEN UPON to see staff's post or see others talk about it to even know about it. Since the beginning of this whole AI boom i had no issue with AI data training as long as it's consentual and ethical, but obviously it most of the time isnt. Tumblr's method of rolling out this change was purposely underhanded. I'm never going to simply be "okay" or normalize in my mind the fact that big tech companies feel entitled to people's privacy- which i believe extends to our online lives. I don't think myself or anyone else should ever feel completely apathetic to the fact that people you don't know, that definitely do not need it, are making money off of you without your consent or knowledge. Just to be clear this isnt about what is and isnt "real art" or whatever for me. It's just a huge distraction from the main point, a big debate that will go absolutely nowhere. What's more important about it is that big techs and billionaires don't have interest in making the world a better place, they only care about eliminating our "distractions" that get in the way of them making money and accumulating more wealth. My solution: We need to make them deepthroat shotguns and machetes.

[mariacallous]

From the second the message popped up on X, it had a familiar ring. Jools Lebron, the TikTok creator who went viral just a few weeks ago for a post discussing “very demure, very mindful” work looks, was upset that, seemingly, someone had attempted to trademark her viral phrase.

In a since-deleted video, Lebron lamented through tears that her future ability to sell demure-branded merchandise seemed in jeopardy. “I wanted this to do so much for my family, provide for my transition, and I just feel like I dropped the ball,” Lebron said, adding that “someone else has it now, and I don’t even know what I could have done better, because I didn’t have the resources.”

Lebron’s situation is echoed in the story of fellow Chicagoan Peaches Monroee. Back in the summer of 2014, the then-teenager posted a video on TikTok precursor Vine describing her eyebrows as “on fleek.” Her catchphrase caught on everywhere, from Nicki Minaj lyrics to Kim Kardashian posts. #Brands like Taco Bell hopped on the trend; Forever 21 made crop tops. Monroee, aka Kayla Lewis, reaped no rewards. Three years after the trend went viral, she launched a GoFundMe and raised just shy of $17,000, according to the campaign’s page.

Like “on fleek,” “demure” has attracted scores of admirers. Jennifer Lopez. The White House. Kim Kardashian (again). Earthquake survivors. The original video has nearly 50 million views, and Lebron’s follower count is now above 2 million. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! while RuPaul was serving as guest host. But her ability to seize her moment of internet fame may not meet exactly the same fate as Lewis’. Despite the fact that a Washington resident named Jefferson A. Bates and the company Do or Drink both filed “demure” applications with the US Patent and Trademark office, Lebron posted a TikTok on Tuesday saying that it’s been “handled.” “Mama got a team now!” she exclaimed, smiling.

Exactly how it got handled is unclear—Bates didn’t respond to an email seeking comment, and representatives for Lebron and Do or Drink didn’t reply, either. Still, the tug-of-war marks something of a shift in how the internet understands the value of trends. Almost as soon as word of the “demure” trademarks surfaced, social media sprung into action decrying the fact that anyone other than Lebron would try to claim the phrase.

One lawyer on TikTok, who uses the handle @bellewoods, did a breakdown explaining that “Jools is going to be just fine” because of the intricacies of how the trademark system in the US works. Another TikTokker claimed to have filed her own trademark application with the intention of transferring ownership to Lebron. (Though, as a Washington Post story this week pointed out, transferring a trademark may not be so easy.) In the comments section of the “handled” TikTok, brands ranging from Ritz Crackers to Zillow weighed in with emoji-strewn affirmations.

All of this underscores that, unlike 10 or 15 years ago, there is now a greater understanding that “content creation is labor,” says Kate Miltner, a lecturer in data, AI, and society at the University of Sheffield’s Information School. “It is time-consuming and often poorly remunerated labor for the most part,” but far more people make entire careers out of being content creators than a decade ago, Miltner adds, “and it feels like an ethics of plagiarism, in addition to trademark/copyright, have come into play.”

Simply put, people get this shit now. A decade after “on fleek,” creators are much smarter when it comes to ownership of their creations. “A series of conversations and discourses about cultural appropriation and where a lot of contemporary (online) language comes from (Black communities, queer communities) have happened since Peaches Monroee,” Miltner says. Lebron may have felt like she dropped the ball because of a lack of resources, but the resources she did have were other creators who knew how to call out what had happened. She also had companies like Netflix, which—perhaps anticipating blowback for just hopping on a viral trend—just asked that Lebron curate a “Very Demure, Very Mindful” list.

Will this happen every time? No. Memes built from everyday language will always be hard to trademark—Miltner cites Fox Media’s unsuccessful attempt to trademark “OK Boomer” as an example. But now that even Hawk Tuah Girl has merch, the possibilities of getting credit for your meme, or even cash, don’t seem as unlikely as they did before. Might your meme get ingested and reinterpreted by an artificial intelligence bot? Yes. Will that bot be able to make a T-shirt? Er, well, that might happen, too. Creators, especially minority creators, will always have to fight to keep control of their works once they’ve been unleashed onto the world. Now, though, they have a few more coaches in their corner.

[niggadiffusion]

AI Tools for Crafting a Creative Brand: A Fresh Perspective

In today’s fast-paced digital world, creative entrepreneurs face the exhilarating task of carving out a brand identity that speaks to their audience. The rise of generative AI tools has turned this process on its head, offering a new kind of innovation that boosts creativity while simplifying brand development. For creative ventures like Majik Ink Creations, these tools aren’t just…