Scandalous!
Just when I thought the whole moral panic about "AI" (Large Language Models) was dying down, we have a huge blowup in the Dragon Awards, Dragoncon's annual fan-voted awards.
A couple of days ago, Raconteur Press had happily announced Cedar Sanderson's nomination for a Best Illustrative Book Cover award for the cover for the anthology Goblin Market. Then yesterday her name had mysteriously disappeared from the list of nominees, as if she never had been. If it hadn't been for Raconteur Press having included a screenshot of the list in their original announcement, and the list for that category having only five names it would've been easy to wonder if everyone just dreamed it.
Raconteur Press sent a formal request for an explanation to the administrator of the Dragon Awards, and encouraged fans to also ask what was going on. Now they have answered that her name was removed because it was found that her image used AI -- however, when nominations were opened, there was nothing in the nomination forms that indicated the use of AI would disqualify a potential nominee. The administrator justified it under a supposed blanket ban on AI materials in the art show, artist alley, vendor hall and other areas where creative works were presented for enjoyment or purchase.
It's resulted in a fair-sized firestorm in the blogosphere:
Raconteur Press Substack
The original announcement
The expression of concern when the deletion was discovered
Dragoncon's response and Raconteur Press's response to it
A bit of mockery of the anti-AI moral panic.
From Lawdog's Blog (original home of Raconteur Press)
Lawdog's reaction to the disqualification
From Mad Genius Club
Dragon, Dragon Quite Contrary (Sarah Hoyt's response to the disqualification).
From Camestros Felapton
First comments on the 2024 Best Illustrative Book Cover nominees
Initial response to the vanishing of Cedar Sanderson's nomination
Looking at the other nominated covers, wrt whether Cedar Sanderson was unjustly singled out for something others do as well.
And a web search discovers this blogger's comments on last year's Dragon Awards ballot, in which various commenters link Cedar Sanderson with the Sad Puppies, and speculate on her use of Midjourney in her art.
File 770
Overview of the situation, with excerpts from several bloggers' posts on the subject
Amanda S. Green's Substack
Reflections on the problems with the removal of Cedar Sanderson's name from the ballot.
(I'll be adding further links as this develops).
Added August 8, 2024:
Jessie A. Barrett's Substack
Fall of the Dragon, a reflection on the procedural improprieties of changing the rules midstream, without actually posting the changes.
Updates to other blogs
The Raconteur Press Substack reprints a blog post by Cedar Sanderson, originally published in Mad Genius Club.
Lawdog posts his gratitude for the outpouring of support for Raconteur Press and Cedar Sanderson, including purchases of Goblin Market and other RP anthologies. It's now reprinted on the Raconteur Press Substack.
Added August 11:
Just found this one: Fandom Pulse observations on possible political motivations for the disqualification of Cedar Sanderson when other nominees weren't asked about their use of AI
A couple of days ago, Raconteur Press had happily announced Cedar Sanderson's nomination for a Best Illustrative Book Cover award for the cover for the anthology Goblin Market. Then yesterday her name had mysteriously disappeared from the list of nominees, as if she never had been. If it hadn't been for Raconteur Press having included a screenshot of the list in their original announcement, and the list for that category having only five names it would've been easy to wonder if everyone just dreamed it.
Raconteur Press sent a formal request for an explanation to the administrator of the Dragon Awards, and encouraged fans to also ask what was going on. Now they have answered that her name was removed because it was found that her image used AI -- however, when nominations were opened, there was nothing in the nomination forms that indicated the use of AI would disqualify a potential nominee. The administrator justified it under a supposed blanket ban on AI materials in the art show, artist alley, vendor hall and other areas where creative works were presented for enjoyment or purchase.
It's resulted in a fair-sized firestorm in the blogosphere:
Raconteur Press Substack
The original announcement
The expression of concern when the deletion was discovered
Dragoncon's response and Raconteur Press's response to it
A bit of mockery of the anti-AI moral panic.
From Lawdog's Blog (original home of Raconteur Press)
Lawdog's reaction to the disqualification
From Mad Genius Club
Dragon, Dragon Quite Contrary (Sarah Hoyt's response to the disqualification).
From Camestros Felapton
First comments on the 2024 Best Illustrative Book Cover nominees
Initial response to the vanishing of Cedar Sanderson's nomination
Looking at the other nominated covers, wrt whether Cedar Sanderson was unjustly singled out for something others do as well.
And a web search discovers this blogger's comments on last year's Dragon Awards ballot, in which various commenters link Cedar Sanderson with the Sad Puppies, and speculate on her use of Midjourney in her art.
File 770
Overview of the situation, with excerpts from several bloggers' posts on the subject
Amanda S. Green's Substack
Reflections on the problems with the removal of Cedar Sanderson's name from the ballot.
(I'll be adding further links as this develops).
Added August 8, 2024:
Jessie A. Barrett's Substack
Fall of the Dragon, a reflection on the procedural improprieties of changing the rules midstream, without actually posting the changes.
Updates to other blogs
The Raconteur Press Substack reprints a blog post by Cedar Sanderson, originally published in Mad Genius Club.
Lawdog posts his gratitude for the outpouring of support for Raconteur Press and Cedar Sanderson, including purchases of Goblin Market and other RP anthologies. It's now reprinted on the Raconteur Press Substack.
Added August 11:
Just found this one: Fandom Pulse observations on possible political motivations for the disqualification of Cedar Sanderson when other nominees weren't asked about their use of AI