Posted in: Comics | Tagged: ai, arc, Evil Corp

Arc, a Free Comic Drawn by A.I. to Promote Evil Corp

Published Mon, 03 Oct 2022 08:57:10 -0500

Evil Corp is a satirical boardgame that lets you romp through the world created by today's tech billionaires, and is currently being adapted into a TV series by Allix Riesen and Alfie Dennen that draws from the game, tentatively titled Arc.

"When we look at how Tech Billionaires behave today, it's as if they are building a mechanism to survive a future they imagine is inevitable – a self-fulfilling prophecy, the acceptance of which is part of the cause. It is as if all the dystopian sci-fi they read as young men – where the aftermath is to be survived at all costs – has set the frame for their worldview. That's an incredibly dangerous basis when building our shared future."

"From Altered Carbon to Foundation, Raised by Wolves to Westworld, futurist television describes these distant aftermaths as fait accompli – without showing the choices made in how we got there. Multiple paradigm-defining technologies are transforming our lives in real time, setting the stage for eras of division, instability, and social turmoil – the changes to come will tear at the fabric of society – and these changes are occurring at a staggering, accelerating pace. Our show takes the viewer on that journey – from now to then – plausible stepping stones helping to ground a fantastical future in the very real, very frightening present."

So naturally, if they are wanting to highlight the evils of corporations, how they manipulate and use their consumers, naturally they've decided to create a comic book version of the first act of the pilot script they have developed. And they got AI to draw it.

"Creating the comic was a really interesting experience: as we've worked, the acceleration of AI's ability to create compelling imagery has been absolutely remarkable. In the space of two months commentary on the category went from 'that's fun and interesting' to 'Real Artists are Terrified. As creators, we see these tools as just that – tools, and so we don't want to dive into the already very deep but very shallow debate about AI generated art in this post (a later post is definitely necessary as it's super interesting). Instead, we invite you to enjoy the work so far and welcome any comments, ideas, or questions."

It does sound a bit like someone is trying to have their cake and eat it. You can explore the project here, and find Arc on ComiXology with Guided View, but it is also available in PDF and CBZ for free.

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