ChatGPT has put real cartoonists’ signatures on images they never drew. Nieman Lab’s Andrew Deck reports that he documented more than 15 New Yorker contributors whose signatures appeared in generated cartoons.
Brendan Loper received messages asking whether one viral cartoon bearing his pen name was his work. Its creator said she had requested a New Yorker-style cartoon. Emily Flake also found her signature on generated images.
OpenAI described the behavior as unintended. Deck reported that warnings appeared after he contacted the company, but some generic cartoons still came with real artists’ names.
The New Yorker told Deck that Condé Nast’s licensing deals never authorized cartoon training. OpenAI declined to explain how its models acquired the signatures.
