Free and quick to create, posters generated by artificial intelligence are seducing some small towns, which see them as an economical way to communicate. But their proliferation is worrying illustrators and graphic designers.
- Small towns use free AI-generated posters because they are cheap and quick to make.
- Mayors find these visuals far less expensive than hiring a professional.
- Some towns, like Sète, refuse AI posters to protect illustrators’ work.
- Graphic designers are losing commissions, while human-made posters start at 129 euros.
In Bietlenheim, in the Bas-Rhin, the town hall is organizing a candy hunt for Halloween. To attract as many participants as possible, municipal councilor Sébastien Julien uses a generative AI, a tool capable of creating an image from a simple written description. “So here, I want to generate an image of a Halloween candy hunt, the image is cartoon-style,” he explains. A few seconds later, a colorful poster includes all the requested information. With the mayor, he checks every detail before publishing it on the village’s Facebook page.
For this town of 300 inhabitants, these free visuals are a boon. The mayor, Fabrice Ritter, believes another method of creation would be too expensive: “Creating a visual like this otherwise, relative to the cost, would be far too expensive for the town. And here, it’s a great way to communicate.” Until recently, the village’s Facebook page only posted simple photos. The residents appreciate it too. One woman finds the idea “nice, to inform people,” while a man judges the poster “rather well done,” while reminding that it should not be confused “with the real work of illustrators.”
Towns that refuse these images
These images, increasingly visible online and in the streets, are however prompting some local authorities to react to protect the work of illustrators. The town hall of Sète, in the Hérault, has announced it will no longer share posters generated by AI, for example to promote community events. “A city like Sète cannot be satisfied with dehumanized images and must be able to encourage artistic creation and defend culture, that’s also part of it,” says Lucia Izoird, the municipal councilor in charge of culture.
This decision is welcomed by a graphic designer, who notes he is receiving fewer and fewer commissions because of AI. According to him, nothing replaces human creativity. He reports having replicated a client’s request using AI, and judges the result harshly: “Les Halles are not Les Halles of Sète. Here, same thing, it looks more like Saint-Tropez (Var) or Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). It’s horrible.”
Calling on human skills, however, has a cost. For this graphic designer, a poster guaranteed without artificial intelligence is priced from 129 euros.
