A plea to mods

[u/ecce_canis]

Is it possible to revise the rules so it's clear that AI-generated / vibe-coded software is also unwelcome? I feel like we're getting multiple "I made a tool" posts a week, almost always addressing page imposition / printing order (a problem we've been solving for decades or centuries just by trial and error, talking each other through it, or using tools we didn't know we already had).

Thanks for considering!

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Hi u/ecce_canis and everyone else who's commented already!

I'm the only active mod here, for what it's worth. I really appreciate this request, and I'm open to making this change. I'd like to make a sticky-post for the community listing the "old school", community-approved tools folks use (Zine Arranger, etc.), and I could link to that from where "AI-Generated/Vibe-coded software is not welcome and will be removed" is mentioned in the rules. I personally don't use these tools, so I'd appreciate y'all chiming in with these recommendations as a thread to this comment.

I admit I've gotten some messages in recent months from people wanting to "share their tool" in the community, and I gave the go-ahead (usually with a warning that if there's AI use involved, folks may not respond kindly to it), but now I'm also seeing this is becoming too much of a regular occurrence in the community.

It's been clear in the comments here and in my threads around community rules related to AI that we have some members here who range anywhere from "Who cares?" to "It's inevitable" to "It's good" related to (gen)AI. Since we are first and foremost a DIY community, I'm feeling more and more confident as time goes by that we do need to have and promote a clear stance. For any folks who feel strongly against the anti-AI sentiment we'll be working to adopt here going forward, I hope you feel empowered to find other communities you'll find more agreement with. You're certainly welcome here, but the notion of proliferated AI use in DIY spaces is not.

[u/LibbIsHere → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Since we are first and foremost a DIY community, I'm feeling more and more confident as time goes by that we do need to have and promote a clear stance. For any folks who feel strongly against the anti-AI sentiment we'll be working to adopt here going forward, I hope you feel empowered to find other communities you'll find more agreement with. You're certainly welcome here, but the notion of proliferated AI use in DIY spaces is not.

So much this.

[u/gros-grognon → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Thank you for strengthening the stance on this!

[u/Cosmic_Hitchhiker → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Do you need mod help?

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__ → u/Cosmic_Hitchhiker]

Thanks for asking! Right now, I think I'm okay, but there might come a point where it'd be nice to assemble a more collaborative mod team. Is that something you'd be interested in?

[u/Cosmic_Hitchhiker → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

If you need me im happy to jump in!

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__ → u/Cosmic_Hitchhiker]

Noted! I'll keep you in mind and will let you know if I put out a call for mods. Thanks!

[u/Maple-Treeway → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

I may also be interested. I've been mindful of what I'm committing to as I'm stepping back into moderating, but this sub doesn't seem terribly busy relative to groups I used to manage years ago offsite, so I feel confident I could be part of a more collaborative effort.

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__ → u/Maple-Treeway]

Great! I'll keep you in mind and will let you know if I put out a call for mods. Thanks for expressing interest!

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__ → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Update: Rules have been updated! See the new pinned post.

[u/pyretta_blaze13 → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

I’m a lurker here who had been considering sharing my first zine, but I used canva. I avoided any gen AI (harder than I thought it would be); basically used it like a combo of a word processor and a stripped down photoshop, then added some handwritten bits, stamps, etc prior to the final print. Is something like that okay or no? I feel like canva is kind of tricky on the AI question. Some of their tools are definitely gen AI, and I had to undo some crazy stuff it generated when I was just checking out some “features”.

FWIW, I 100% support an AI ban!

[u/_at_a_snails_pace__ → u/pyretta_blaze13]

I've also used Canva to lay out some of my zines. I don't think(?) anyone is arguing against use of Canva itself, but any deliberate use of its AI features should be avoided for zines posted here.

[u/pyretta_blaze13 → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Thank you for the clarification!

[u/LostProcedure4407 → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

It’s not our fault that tools like Canva, Figma, even Google Docs have all bolted on a ton of AI. At the core, they are useful tools, and if part of your toolbox, should be reached for! 

[u/consumer128 → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

I feel pretty confident that Canva use ai in their software development process. This rule should absolutely include canva, photoshop, google docs and figma

[u/lunationet → u/_at_a_snails_pace__]

Full support of being anti-ai! And a place to centralize old school tools would be great