[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident on behalf of 34 signers. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
Summer in Burien is a fantastic time of year. From spending time in our beautiful parks, to participating in local festivals, there’s always something fun to do, and a reason for non-residents to come to town and see what we have to offer.
We’ve watched with alarm as organizations such as Discover Burien, Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Burien have been using more and more generative AI to create logos and fliers for local events. These organizations are tasked with supporting our local businesses, artists, and creators, and to see them outsource work to computers is disheartening to say the least. Burien is home to so many talented artists and designers of all skill levels. Hiring one can give a young person a foot in the door as they’re starting out, or support a freelancer who depends on contracted work to pay their bills.
While there is a cost to hiring actual people for design work, those funds can go back into our local community. The cost of using AI graphics is far higher, when you consider how AI erodes trust in institutions, stifles our community identity, and damages the environment.
As a Creative District, we should be showcasing our local talent. We have so many fun and unique events throughout the year; advertising them with AI-generated content makes them look generic and stale. Let’s invest in our local talent and show the rest of the Seattle area that Burien is a thriving, creative, and thoughtful community.
Signed,
| Jennifer Fichamba | Burien |
| Andrew McNair | Burien |
| Nancy Kick | Seahurst |
| Margret Alley | Burien |
| Kellie Bassen | Burien |
| Krystal Marx | Burien |
| Kelsey Vanhee | Boulevard Park |
| Damon Vanhee | |
| Samuel Whitney | Burien |
| Paz | |
| Shauna Bakkensen | Burien |
| Jeppa Hall | Burien |
| Michael Stein-Ross | |
| Jon Gordon | Gregory Heights |
| Adelle Comfort | Burien, WA |
| Leit Myers | Burien (Salmon Creek) |
| Irene Danysh | 122nd Street, Burien |
| Kate Richardson | |
| Chris Guizlo | |
| Jose CM | Chelsea Park Neighborhood |
| Laura Gravel | Burien |
| August Hahn | Burien |
| Maggie Block | Burien, WA |
| Adrienne Mendoza | Burien resident |
| Anna | Burien |
| Jen Powell | Burien |
| Daniel Martin | Hazel Valley |
| Corina Yballa | Burien |
| Manuel Siguenza | |
| Kathy Hazen | Seattle |
| Stephen Lamphear | Upper Shorewood, Burien 98146 |
| Kathleen Thorn Randall | Burien |
| Patricia Hudson | Burien, WA |
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This is an incredibly important topic. As an artist, I know that for me and many artists I know the use of generative ai has decimated artists who are small businesses. If the city truely believes in supporting art and artists, you must stop using AI to replace artists.
I wholeheartedly agree. The AI-generated content that our city has been putting out is really not a great look. I especially disliked the “Stoplight Party” poster for Burien Pride. Aside from the very glaring design flaws (like the color “green” being in fact colored yellow, despite the other colors being correct), the fact that it featured two smiling straight couples front and center, with a gay couple with their back to the camera, flirting in secret, really seems like it missed the entire point. A whole committee approved that?
Certainly understand the concerns with using AI generated materials. Yet it’s not clear “how AI erodes trust in institutions, stifles our community identity, and damages the environment” anymore than other technologies. Disinformation is a top global threat as documented by the World Economic Forum. Seems an AI generated flyer does not reach that level of concern.
Time and money are in short supply and a simple flyer can be generated in a few seconds, reviewed, and recreated in multiple versions as needed. There are also libraries of templates and clip art available to create flyers and other documents. Relatively simple computer generated images cost little and take little time compared to finding someone to hire to create something similar.
AI and other computing technologies are changing our world faster than we might like and faster than our ability to adapt. Generating a sales and marketing program can be done in less than a minute by someone who knows what they are doing. While it may or may not be successful, it can be tweaked and improved without spending a lot of time and money. Few people do their own taxes manually without some computing technology today. Most personal correspondence is done via email or social media without US Postal Service involvement. And so on.
Again, I understand the concerns with AI generated flyers or other relatively simple documents, but see little to nothing to stop it.
I don’t have an answer for the creative district and artists, but I don’t see this technology going away either.
Would anyone who signed this letter be willing to cover the cost of an artist-drawn flyer for any of the institutions you named?