🤖 Vol. 2 | "Will AI-generated art also be regulated?"
⭐️ The current state of "freedom of expression" where generative AI and international rules collide ⭐️
1. A future where AI-drawn illustrations become "illegal"?
"AI-drawn illustrations of girls might be treated as 'crimes'"
"Because they infringe on copyright, all AI art is out"
"I hear people are starting to sue AI artists"
Haven't you been hearing voices like these a lot lately?
Since 2023, with the advent of generative AI (such as Stable Diffusion and Midjourney),
an era has arrived where anyone can create "pro-level art."
However, right now, a "trend toward regulation" is moving at the same speed.
2. The rapid expansion of generative AI art that has the world buzzing
The number of illustrations and videos generated by AI has
increased explosively since 2023.
SNS is overflowing with "AI gravure" and "AI manga"
AI works are being sold normally on note and BOOTH
Some "AI artists" are even said to have higher precision than professional illustrators
On the other hand, since many of these works are
generated after learning from "other people's styles, compositions, and physical depictions,"
criticism is also emerging, asking, "Isn't this plagiarism rather than creation?"
3. Is it "creation" or "exploitation"? The ethical dilemma
The biggest issue with AI works is not "copyright" but "ethics."
Is output from an AI that learned from someone else's work "creation"?
Is there no problem with "realistic expression" at a level that humans clearly cannot draw?
Does it constitute "sexual exploitation" if the character's appearance is close to that of a minor?
In particular, AI-generated images of characters that look like children are alreadyincreasingly being considered illegal overseas.
4. Regulation of AI works has already begun (Overseas edition)
Legal responses to AI-generated content have already begun in various countries:
🇪🇺 European Union (EU)
The "AI Act" introduces usage restrictions for generative AI based on risk levels.
For sexual depictions and political propaganda, strict rules will be imposed.
🇨🇦 Canada
A proposal is underway to include AI-generated fictional characters in the "definition of child pornography."
🇺🇸 United States
Some states have laws that make "deepfake pornography" illegal, and there is a movement to apply these to AI characters as well.
In other words, a world where "even if it's creative work, if an AI drew it, it's out" is becoming a reality.
becoming a reality.
5. The true nature of the "invisible regulation" happening in Japan
In Japan, laws do not directly prohibit AI creation.
However, there is an even stronger "invisible pressure."
Bans due to reports on social media
Platform terms of service changes (pixiv AI tags, sales restrictions on BOOTH)
Flamewars and exclusion among creators
These are all forms of "market self-regulation" that move faster than the law.
In short, a situation where things are "not illegal" but are "hated, deleted, or cannot make money" is gradually spreading.
6. What is the content of the "AI regulation" being advanced by the UN and Europe?
As of 2025, the following international frameworks are in progress.
🌐 United Nations (UN)
Within the Cybercrime Convention, the treatment of AI-generated content is also being indirectly discussed.
There have been past proposals for regulations that include "depictions that look like minors" and "non-existent fictional characters," and
Japan is strongly opposing this.
🇪🇺 EU
In the AI Act, the disclosure of "transparency and accountability" for generated content is becoming mandatory.
The requirement to "clearly state that it was made by AI" is becoming a rule.
If these trends continue,
it may become difficult for AI creators to operate anonymously
as well.
7. The process by which freedom of expression is eroded
Freedom of expression does not disappear suddenly overnight.
It is eroded little by little, as follows:
Posts decrease because of "self-regulation"
Things stop being drawn because "there's no ad revenue"
Topics stop being touched upon because "fear of backlash"
And then, it disappears because "no one draws it anymore"
In this process, if unfair exclusion proceeds simply because it is "AI-made,"
that is a loss to culture itself.
8. What we should know as creators
Even if it is just a hobby,
・Writing articles on note
・Posting images on X
these acts are acts of expression themselves.
That is why you should keep the following perspectives in mind.
Where is the line between legal and gray areas?
Which country's rules are you subject to? (Assuming you are seen by overseas users)
How do you think about the line between AI and humans?
If you know, there are things you can protect.
If you remain ignorant, you will be unable to do anything if you are suddenly banned.
9. A future living with AI, what kind of rules are needed?
Using AI is not bad.
However, what you express using it and what kind of impact it has
is the responsibility of each and every one of us.
The ideal is
to think for ourselves about rules to balance human ethics and AI technology.
Daring to clearly state "AI used"
Thoroughly using tags and zoning to avoid causing discomfort
Using it while respecting the creative works of others
I believe that such steady, incremental efforts
are the means to leave behind a "world where it is okay to create" for the future.
10. How can we join the 'side that protects' the creative works we love?
Freedom of expression is not a distant topic. It is an issue that we, as people who write articles on note or post on social media, are
directly involved in right now.
And precisely because we are people who love creation, we can join the 'side that protects' by:
Spreading the word
Discussing it
Supporting it
.
📝 Next Issue Preview (Vol. 3)
🌍 "Why do overseas countries want to regulate manga and anime?"
🇰🇷🇬🇧🇨🇦 The 'barrier of expression' seen through the gap between overseas values and Japanese culture