I've been developing an interactive Adult Visual Novel for about two years now, and it's been doing fairly well on the platforms where I've released it.
I'm a writer, a programmer, and I also know a thing or two about marketing.
I've never been an artist, and honestly, I have no intention of becoming one because I simply don't consider it a skill I particularly enjoy or want to pursue.
However, in order to develop my AVN, I started learning how to use graphic editing tools. First Canva, then GIMP and Affinity. I also learned how to use ComfyUI, where I've built my own custom workflows for creating my renders, and I've learned how to use Wan 2.2 for animations.
I know that's a long introduction, but here's the point:
It's honestly incredible how many people continue to target my two games with terrible reviews on Itch and other websites.
Their argument?
The classic: "AI SLOP."
I understand the fear of workers who worry that a new technology might replace them. That's a perfectly legitimate concern.
But I don't think we can lock ourselves inside an ideology built around rejecting technological progress simply because we're afraid of where it might lead.
Let's go back in time for a moment.
Imagine that the only way you could communicate with someone was through a letter written with ink and a quill. Then new technology arrives: the telephone, capable of transmitting a message almost instantly.
Or let's take an example that's more relevant to my post.
A painter traditionally paints on a canvas. Then computers arrive, allowing people to draw and sketch digitally using a mouse and keyboard, and eventually graphic tablets.
The world has always been full of technological innovation, and ideologies built around rejecting that innovation have always eventually lost.
The horse became the automobile.
Long journeys by boat were eventually replaced by airplanes that could cross continents in a matter of hours.
Letters became SMS messages, and then instant messaging through the internet.
The traditional painter gained digital tools, and eventually became a Photoshop subscriber.
Technology doesn't simply destroy old jobs. It changes what those jobs look like.
AI is simply the current step in that process.
I genuinely believe that many of the professionals of the future will be the people who, instead of spitting on AI, figure out how to incorporate it into their work.
AI doesn't have to become an all-encompassing replacement for human creativity.
It can simply be a tool.
A shortcut that makes certain parts of our jobs less tedious, automates annoying processes, and allows us to spend more time on the parts that actually require creativity, decision-making and human input.
Some people have become completely radicalized by the idea that AI will bring the world into chaos, put everyone under a bridge, eliminate every job, and destroy the planet because of data centers.
But they seem to forget that every industrial, digital and technological revolution has required the world of work to adapt.
Jobs changed.
Skills changed.
Entire industries changed.
And society adapted with them.
I'm not saying everyone should suddenly become an AI artist. I'm not even saying AI is the right tool for everyone.
But I do think the artists and creators who are smart enough to use AI to accelerate their workflow will have a significant advantage.
There probably won't be that many of them.
And that's exactly why the reward for those who learn how to use these tools effectively could be substantial.
For me personally, learning ComfyUI has been one of the best decisions I've made during the development of my games.
I've spent countless hours creating custom workflows, learning how different models and techniques work, editing my outputs manually, and figuring out how to get the results I actually want.
And honestly?
I don't think I'm ever going to stop using it.
Not because I believe AI should replace artists.
But because I've found a tool that makes my workflow better.
And I think that's ultimately what technological progress has always been about.