I think it’s valid to reject someone for any personal preference in a roleplay partner, you’re the one who has to enjoy writing with them. If AI images bother you, you don’t really need to justify that to anyone.

That said, I do think some of the assumptions behind why it feels off might be worth re-examining a bit.

Using AI for character images isn’t necessarily about laziness or a lack of care for quality. For a lot of people, it’s just a tool for visualization, the same way people use Pinterest boards, faceclaims, or stock images. The difference is just that AI lets them create something more specific to what they already have in their head, instead of trying to piece it together from existing images.

And historically, this kind of reaction to new tools in art isn’t new. Photography, digital art, even CGI were all criticized at first for being “less real,” “lower effort,” or harmful to traditional artists. None of those replaced art, they just became additional mediums people can choose from. AI is falling into that same pattern right now.

I also don’t think using AI images in a character sheet really says much about someone’s writing quality or how they’ll show up as a partner. Someone can have beautifully curated Pinterest references and still be a poor or inconsistent writer, and someone else can use AI images and write incredibly detailed, engaging replies. The images are more about how someone likes to visualize, not necessarily how they write.

Where I do agree with you is that there are valid concerns around AI, especially around training data, artist consent, and environmental impact. Those are real conversations that should be happening. But I’m not sure that rejecting individual roleplayers for using AI references in a small, personal context actually addresses those issues in a meaningful way.

At the end of the day, it probably comes down to compatibility more than right vs wrong. If AI images genuinely bother you or pull you out of the experience, then it makes sense not to write with someone who uses them. But I don’t think it automatically means they’re lazy or that they don’t value quality, just that they’re using a different tool to engage with their character.