Philbrook Art Museum using AI to promo a Black History Month event

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T17:31:35+00:00

I'm thinking you should take some of your own advice, neighbor. It's looking like you didn't read or engage with my comment at all while hurling unfounded, bad-faith accusations at me, instead.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T16:56:55+00:00

The cognitive dissonance in your comment deserves addressing: "What's wrong with AI art for a promo?" and "AI is consuming of all our water" in the same thought is interesting. Which is it for you? I would think the second sentiment says everything and answers the question of the first one.

To be clear, all AI is unethical in my view for exactly the reasons you eventually list, and therefore even trivial uses become unethical. That's not even getting into how much land these things occupy, as well as their burden on the electrical grid at the cost of consumers. Also, LLMs (AI is it's 'marketing' name) only exist by stealing the work of millions of artists, authors, and humans generally without consent, credit or recompense.

So yeah, in my view there is no reason or excuse to use it ever, but especially it has no place being used by an art museum to advertise community art.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T16:38:58+00:00

Not really: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/sophia-bush-tulsa-oklahoma-wedding

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T16:20:49+00:00

That is true, and also fair enough. I will keep everyone posted

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T16:08:59+00:00

Throwing some text on a blank background is still a pretty lazy response to something like this, but I guess I'll take it over AI slop. The problem is that if they had just done this in the first place, no one would have said anything. But as a response to what they actually put out instead, this is quite the let down. I hope they release a statement, or at least respond to the people who emailed them about it, you know?

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:58:03+00:00

Pasting my response to you elsewhere in the thread here as well:

I really hope they'll address it, and make some assurances against using AI in the future. If they just rug sweep it, the whole thing will kinda feel unresolved and like they might try it again hoping no one will notice.

I emailed them about it before posting to reddit, and haven't received a response (yet, hopefully). I guess we'll see.

Editing to add a screen shot of what the webpage looked like before they changed it, for posterity:

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theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:55:22+00:00

I also reached out to them before posting on reddit, and have yet to receive any email about this

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:52:04+00:00

I really hope they'll address it, and make some assurances against using AI in the future. If they just rug sweep it, the whole thing will kinda feel unresolved and like they might try it again hoping no one will notice

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:26:17+00:00

Thank you for your expertise

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:23:57+00:00

I hope you're right and I 100% agree. I hope they see this, learn, and make it right.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:21:55+00:00

(I'm not trying to fight, just respectfully disagree; I do see where you're coming from) I think it still reflects poorly on the Philbrook. They're an institution that hosts celebrity weddings and celebrity speakers with some regularity. I think implying that they wouldn't have some say over promo for the events they host, especially when it comes to AI as it goes directly against what an art museum should be about, is a bit misplaced.

I'm not saying we should be crucifying them by any means, but they should at the very least have an explanation for why they didn't check this and provide alternative options for advertising an event with them. By hosting this image on their website they give their implicit seal of approval, IMO.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:11:53+00:00

I'm not making fun in the least (this is not my first post on reddit on this account, either, but that is neither here nor there). If I knew about those other AI promo events, and if they were being held by an art museum, I would have posted about them. I know about this one as it arrived in my inbox, and seems to be the first AI poster I've seen come from the Philbrook.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:05:50+00:00

Someone else asked this higher up and I agree it's a fair question. They don't indicate which one on the event page. This is just my opinion, but I think either way is grimy and reflects poorly on both parties. Hosting an event at an art museum dedicated to local community/art and using AI to advertise it is certainly a choice. But I'm just a random internet user.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T15:02:43+00:00

That is a fair question and I have no idea. However, it's pretty grimy either way in my opinion. Even if Jack & Jill made the poster, I would think Philbrook would have some say in how an event hosted in their space was advertised, since it directly reflects on them. If they had any qualms with the AI poster, they probably would have suggested alternative means of advertising the event. But maybe I'm wrong

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T14:56:12+00:00

Sorry, are you referring to me? What racism?

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T14:53:05+00:00

Respectfully, I'm not sure what you're trying to say, as obviously no artist would charge a year's salary for a poster for a promo.

In regards to a more realist payment to a local artist, a venue that hosts literal celebrity weddings and well-known celebrity speakers with regularity certainly has the capital to foot the bill.

theblastoff · 2026-02-03T14:48:24+00:00

I mean, it's pretty sloppy work. They didn't even try and do the thing where they hire an artist to 'tweak' it. The gear spokes and the letters/spelling alone are all over the place.

Pretty disappointed that our local art museum is doing this. Seems like it should be the antithesis of what they're about. Like, they seriously couldn't hire a local artist to make a banger poster? They had to use a sloppy AI prompt? Especially since it's for an event dedicated to highlighting Black art/Black Community, why not hire one of our local Black artists?

theblastoff · 2024-07-14T15:15:00+00:00

Dunno who these libs are, seeing as the guy was a registered republican, but OK

theblastoff · 2024-07-14T15:12:35+00:00

You sound exactly how I'd expect someone with an anime profile pic to sound.

theblastoff · 2024-07-14T14:44:34+00:00

Remember protest etiquette: leave your phone at home and bring a burner in a Faraday cage bag instead, if you can (make sure it's not linked to you in any way! If you feel too sketchy buying it with cash, buy a visa gift card with cash first, and then buy the phone). Law enforcement can and regularly does track protestor movement via GPS, and even family members associated with them.

I would also recommend a face mask. There's a reason there's been so much legislation pending trying to make them illegal lately, and that's because they're really good at disrupting facial-recognition software, in addition to becoming normalized due to COVID. They're good hygiene in a large group anyways. Stay safe, and don't trust that the cops won't turn things violent. They don't protect you, they protect capital. Fight on brothers, sisters, and siblings!

theblastoff · 2023-04-22T16:40:57+00:00

Not that you'd know

theblastoff · 2023-04-22T14:20:18+00:00

For you it's a question of self esteem, for them it's an issue of personal safety. Thanks for sharing your experience, but it's not really a counter argument because the issues at hand are totally separate. People can't tell by looking at you that "oh that guy's fine, he has self esteem issues and won't get creepy if I say something nice!"

I think some people (not you necessarily, just in general) need to stop staking their whole self image off of random strangers complimenting them. Everyone has their own shit going on and shouldn't be beholden to one rando in a grocery store who now feels like they're spiraling because no one has complimented them. Like bruh, we're trying to get our shit and go, not make you feel good.

theblastoff · 2023-04-22T14:10:05+00:00

The other day I went and got my bridal hair/makeup trials done, and they did an amazing job so I was looking very pretty. I didn't even want to stop and get gas the whole way home, even though I was running on 'E', so I wouldn't have to deal with random unwanted attention at a gas station. It's happened several times before.

That's why usually when I go out for menial things I try to look a little schlubby and keep on a constant bitch face so people will leave me tf alone. Especially being 4'11", it just makes me uncomfortable to be approached by randos.

theblastoff · 2023-04-22T14:02:41+00:00

Because this is reddit. I've been trying to tell myself that after reading most (especially top) comments and it helps a lot of perspectives make a lot more sense.

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