BusinessHollywood EntertainmentFan Conventions Are Drawing The Line On AI SlopByRob Salkowitz,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Rob Salkowitz is an Eisner-nominated comics journalist and author.Follow AuthorSep 04, 2025, 02:57pm EDTCommentSign left on table of exhibitor evicted from DragonCon for selling AI art, September, 2025.Dane Ault, Monkey Minion Last weekend, an exhibitor in the artists alley of Atlantas Dragon Con was escorted off the show floor by police for violating the shows policy against selling AI-generated work.
It was the latest and most visible example of creators and creator-oriented events stigmatizing the use of tools that the tech world has bet the future on. In the wake of Dragon Cons actions, several other large fan conventions have clarified or underlined their policies protecting the role of human artists.
According to an account from Dane Ault, an exhibitor at Dragon Con, a booth registered to Oriana Gertz Art had been accused of selling AI-generated prints at their booth in Artist Alley. Vendors and fans complained to organizers.
On the final day of the show, after failing to produce convincing evidence that the work was made by humans, the occupants of the booth were evicted by Atlanta police. A sign was placed on the empty table stating Vendor removed for selling AI, and the table became a rallying point for fans.
*Reporting by Forbes.*
