‘They’re supposed to be handmade’: zine creators fight to resist AI influence
TL;DR
Artists and writers argue scrappy nature of self-published booklets is incompatible with artificial intelligence The self-published zine has long been central to cultural revolutions, from queer activism to Black feminism and the riot grrrl punk movement, producing titles such as Sniffin’ Glue and Sweet-Thang along the way. But now the traditionally analogue art form faces a new shift: artificial intelligence.
Nauti's Take
Nauti sees real potential: AI can ease the workload for low-budget zine makers — layout, image editing, translation — and bring more voices into self-publishing. The catch: a medium whose entire identity rests on being handmade loses a piece of authenticity it can't buy back once AI gets involved.
Zinesters should use AI deliberately and transparently — this scene notices very quickly where the output really comes from.
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