BEYOND LOCAL: Historical society apologizes for selling AI-generated cards at holiday market

Toronto’s First Post Office and the Town of York Historical Society issued an apology this week after a vendor was spotted selling Christmas cards generated by artificial intelligence (AI) at its showcase in Old Town over the weekend. 

The Snowy Paper Fair — one of several annual pop-up markets hosted inside the post office — featured artwork from 30 local creators and ran from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

The historical society’s executive director Alex Miller-Gerrard told TorontoToday some criticism arose after a particular vendor’s use of AI in their holiday greeting cards caused concern online.

On Monday, the society issued a formal apology that said the group “did not fully understand the negative impact that generated art has on the creative community.” 

That vendor, Dylan Hachey from Vintage Villages, was approved by the historical society to sell his cards at the market on Saturday. He told TorontoToday the historical society’s apology was unexpected. 

Miller-Gerrard admitted her team was aware of Hachey’s use of AI during the registration process. Feedback from other artists has since prompted the non-profit to change how it facilitates shows in the future, specifically in relation to AI.

She said this year’s Snowy Paper Fair was the first time the market included any variation of AI art. She described last weekend’s market as “kind of a trial run.”

“There was a bit of discourse regarding the use of AI and whether that should be included in these spaces,” she explained. “The feedback we received was that AI has been harmful to the creative community. Our decision as an organization moving forward is we’d like to support hand-created art more.”

That sentiment was part of the historical society’s public social media apology. The organization called the inclusion of the AI cards a “misstep” and said “AI can never replace the creativity, passion and hard work of the creative community.”

But the apology didn’t sit well with Hachey from Vintage Villages, who said he felt “blindsided” by the Instagram post.

“It’s a very polarizing subject,” he said. “My wife and I have been talking about maybe stopping doing these cards, even though it’s something I have a lot of fun doing. It seems to be hurting other people, so I’m torn on what to do.”

Hachey first began selling the Christmas cards around this time last year. He uses a combination of software and AI-powered tools to create the initial images before they’re edited and touched up in Photoshop. The cards are printed at a local business, he said.  

Many of the cards — priced at $6 each — are meant to be comical and feature iconic Toronto locations, including Nathan Phillips Square, the CN Tower and the Gooderham Building. 

Signs on his display and messages on his website indicate the cards are “powered by AI.”

As a full-time construction worker, Hachey does not consider himself an artist, nor does he have any formal training in the area. But he defends his platform and believes there is a space for it — perhaps just not at showcases like the Snowy Paper Fair.

“It might be a mistake to mix and mingle with other traditional artists,” he said. “Maybe it’s not the right place for us. But I also think it might not be the right time. We’re really early on using AI artwork on physical products.”

The Snowy Paper Fair wasn’t the first time Hachey has run into criticism.

A post on the Toronto subreddit received hundreds of reactions last month when a user uploaded a photo of Vintage Villages’ display at the St. Lawrence Market, describing the AI-generated cards as “sort of depressing.”

Dozens of commenters were critical of the cards. One said, “Hopefully nobody buys any of this garbage.” Another commented the cards were “genuinely the destruction of the human spirit.”

Other social media users were concerned about the accuracy of the images themselves, as one Vintage Villages card pictured a TTC streetcar with “express” written as the destination, while another displayed the CN Tower with two skypods instead of one.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of hostility and hateful comments directed towards me and it’s been really difficult to deal with it,” Hachey said. “But customers really like them, and many people have been receptive to the idea. Some people like it, some people move on.”

“I understand this is maybe a bit scary for artists but I really don’t think I compete in the same way — it’s a totally different thing,” he added. “I’m embarrassed to say how much time I’ve spent doing this. I’m just a simple person having fun on the computer.”

TorontoToday attempted to reach out to several artists from the Snowy Paper Fair, but none were available to provide a response in time for publication.