How I Avoid Using AI in my Artwork

As an artist in 2026, we are in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). I have avoided using AI in my artwork for ethical and moral reasons. Also, I feel the use of AI in artwork defeats the purpose of art in the first place. In my artwork personally, I aim to explore presence and emotional connection through an appreciation for the fleeting beauty of blossoms.

So how do I avoid using AI in my artwork?

I go outside. I go look at the trees, in winter or in bloom, I analyze flowers and how the sunlight interacts with them. I’ve subscribed to a garden membership to have access to interesting collections of plants. But it’s also a good reason to go outside, get fresh air, and explore new places.

I do take photos on my phone for reference, and I am aware that even the camera software most likely automatically applies some sort of AI editing to the images. With this in mind, there is a point in my painting that I stop looking at my reference photo and start painting what I want to feel when I look at the artwork. I’ve found that accurately painting a photo often makes it turn out flat, and the colors in photos are off from in person in the first place. I’ve learned to take videos (when I remember to) as I find them to be a lot more accurate to what I see in real life.

Aside from using real life references, I also look at a lot of picture books— usually ones published before 2024; I have yet to encounter it myself, but apparently AI is taking over the bookshelves, too. (And the em dash in my case is of my own volition.) My favorite places to look at or buy books are at secondhand bookstores such as Half Price Books and local establishments. I usually find gems from across the decades and from all kinds of genres. I’ll sometimes check out places such as Barnes and Noble, but I tend to find that their books eventually tend to follow the same formatting from the same publishers, which isn’t as fun. The books I often look into are under the art monogram sections (for books featuring a specific artist’s work), instructional, or on specific subject matter (like tulips, trees, wildflowers of California, etc.). I use these books for information and inspiration, and avoid copying any of the photographs and publishing it as my own work.

Completely avoiding all forms of AI is most likely impossible in modern day life, but I intentionally avoid going down the rabbit hole of AI taking over the world— it's easy to be fed this kind of information through algorithms when it's being engaged with. I don't focus on the idea of 'artists being replaced by AI', because AI will never have the initiative to explore presence and emotional connection as a human.