Generative AI and Image Creators: The Future of Artists’ Rights
June 5 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
$10.00 – $15.00
The injection of artificial intelligence (AI) into the arts has sparked a complex and passionate debate around the role of AI and the purpose of art. While conversations around AI often highlight divisions between those eager to adopt new tools and those who resist them, this town hall aims to go deeper, exploring where we are now, why it matters, and how we can move forward.
In partnership with the Graphic Artists Guild and the Society of Illustrators, the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN), led by Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), has organized this event to bring together experts from the arts and AI governance to explore these issues. Topics will include the latest developments in U.S. and international AI regulation, intellectual property concerns, the potential of collective licensing models, and the enduring human element in both art and artificial intelligence.
As a town hall, the event will include space for open dialogue. Attendees will be invited to ask questions, share concerns, and engage directly with panelists.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the current landscape, the stakes involved, and practical insights to help navigate the evolving intersection of AI and the creative industries. This forum is designed to empower artists, advocates, and innovators alike with knowledge and a sense of direction for what comes next.
About The Graphic Artists Guild
The Graphic Artists Guild is a US-based national trade association that promotes and protects the social, economic, and professional interests of its members. The Guild is committed to welcoming, serving, and improving conditions for working artists and creative professionals at all skill levels while raising standards for the entire industry. In addition to creative professionals, members include educators, intellectual property lawyers, artist representatives, and others in related and supporting industries.
The Guild advocates on behalf of its members on all levels of government and has seen several successes at the US Supreme Court and beyond. The Guild is closely monitoring advancements in generative AI, advocating for guardrails to protect artists and for compensation for the use of their works in machine learning, developing ethical standards, and informing graphic artists on how to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.
About the Society of Illustrators
Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is America’s longest-standing nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration. Located on the Upper East Side, SI’s Museum of Illustration advances our mission to promote the art and appreciation of illustration and its history and evolving nature through exhibitions and educational programs.
About RAIN and the Royal Society of Arts
Based in London and with a strong presence around the world, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has been at the forefront of significant social impact since 1754. Notable Fellows include Benjamin Franklin, President Theodore Roosevelt, Dame Judi Dench, and Dame Prue Leith.
RAIN is a global network led by Fellows of the RSA. RAIN informs the responsible development, deployment, adoption, and governance of AI technologies and research. RAIN does so by promoting an innovation ecosystem that welcomes diverse voices, reduces inequalities, embraces critical thinking, collaborates across disciplines, and enables the well-being of people, places, and planet. Read our mission here.
In 2023, RAIN was the fastest-growing network at the RSA. RAIN has over 600 members, and the Fellowship allows us to tap into different relevant networks and organisations. RAIN has demonstrated the need for public events about AI, with two hybrid events at RSA House in London in 2024, attracting over 60 participants each.
About Our Panelists
(in alphabetical order)
Carl Cleanthes is a creative entrepreneur, illustrator, and the founder of Epic Made—a visual storytelling studio serving brands in entertainment, gaming, and tech. Through his personal brand, Colorful Carl, he explores the intersection of fine art, AI, and blockchain, including a posthumous NFT memoir created with his late father’s work. Carl serves as the Eastern Regional Representative for the Graphic Artists Guild, where he advocates for artists’ rights and ethical AI practices.
Ismael Kherroubi Garcia, FRSA is the Founder and a Co-Lead of the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN), Founder & CEO of AI Ethics & Research Governance Consultancy Kairoi, and Associate Director of We and AI. Having worked across fintech, museums, theatre, and academia, in sales, human resources, and research, his career in responsible AI has allowed him to draw on his diverse experiences and interests.
Rebecca Blake has worked as a professional graphic designer since 1990 and has worked at Optimum for more than 30 years. She designs and oversees the creation of logos and identity systems, websites and online media, print collateral and trade show materials. As an artist advocate, Rebecca served as the Advocacy Liaison for the Graphic Artists Guild, where she monitored upcoming legislation on copyrights and issues relevant to visual artists, and writes articles on design and illustration for the Guild’s news blog. She also served on the board of ICoD, the International Council of Design, and ASCRL, the American Society for Collective Rights Licensing. She was recently hired by ASCRL as Senior Vice President for Interstate and Foreign Licensing and Business Development.
Sir Michael Allan Galvez, KR, FRSA (host) is the Marketing Director of Creative and Digital Media at 54 Below and BFV Management, the Tony Award-winning producing and management group involved in shows on and off Broadway. His photography can be seen on Variety, E! News, BroadwayWorld, and in the Smithsonian archives, among others. Together with his team, they have created showstopping digital media for some of today’s cultural luminaries, rising stars, and hit shows. In 2024, he was made a Knight of Rizal, conferred at an investiture ceremony at the Consulate General of the Philippines in New York. He is deeply involved in the Order’s charitable and cultural work worldwide. Sir Michael is a founding member and Co-Lead of the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN). He is the Associate East Region Representative of the Graphic Artists Guild, and a member of the UK Royal Photographic Society.
Tim O’Brien is an award-winning illustrator whose illustrations have appeared numerous times on the cover of Time Magazine, the most by any living artist, as well as illustrating for numerous other publications such as Der Spiegel, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and New York Magazine. O’Brien has created covers for most major book publishers, including the iconic Hunger Games series. In 2022, Tim founded a coalition of notable illustrators to convince most illustration competitions not to allow generative Ai entry into those competitions. Tim is the second-longest-serving president of The Society of Illustrators from 2015 to 2022 and is an Adjunct Professor at Pratt Institute. In 2025, Tim was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Society of Illustrators.