Should artists be anti-AI or is there a way to use it that helps us?

We shouldn’t be anti-AI, we should be pro-human. AI is very good at things that can help artists, especially small operations. Out of 100,000 artists, fewer than one-tenth of 1% have even one employee. You need help, and AI can make you more efficient, better at telling your story, better at getting the word out, and ultimately help you sell your art. That’s fantastic. Whether AI-generated art itself is good or bad is a separate, charged topic. But AI as a tool to help human artists run their businesses and tell their stories? That’s a huge opportunity, especially for solo creators who need leverage.

---

Asked by an artist uncertain about AI’s role · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-02-09