Procreate’s anti-AI pledge attracts praise from digital creatives

Many Procreate users can breathe a sigh of relief now that the popular iPad illustration app has taken a definitive stance against generative AI. “We’re not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products,” Procreate CEO James Cuda said in a video posted to X. “I don’t like what’s happening to the industry, and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists.” 

“Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future,” Procreate said on the new AI section of its website. “We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.”

Procreate is extremely well received by comparison. The company has stuck to a $12.99 one-time purchase model instead of moving to a rolling subscription like Adobe and Clip Studio Paint did, and has expanded into offering products for animation and (eventually) desktop users. Making such a firm pledge against introducing generative AI is likely just the icing on the cake for creatives who feel alternative options are dwindling. 

Cuda said “We don’t exactly know where this story’s gonna go, or how it ends, but we believe that we’re on the right path to supporting human creativity.”