Gus' Pub, a long-running music venue in Halifax's north end, has announced on Instagram that it will no longer accept AI-generated posters for gigs. The pub's walls have long been covered in gig posters by local graphic designers, and staff pushed back once AI-made flyers began to appear among them. Bands that send one will have it swapped for a plain 'No Name' template that parodies the Loblaws house brand.
Bartender and musician TJ Ploughman says the venue is run by and for artists of many kinds, the staff are all musicians or artists themselves, and they wanted the pub to be a landmark for human-made work. The venue will help performers get a poster made, sometimes by its manager; otherwise bands can design their own or hire an artist.
The post struck a nerve and drew thousands of responses online. Local designer and musician Gabriela Warlet, who began selling art at 16, says her commissions dried up as AI spread and that AI images all look alike, but more musicians have contacted her since the pub's stand.
Visual Arts Nova Scotia's director Therese Cruz says AI devalues artists and hopes other businesses follow suit and that more people seek out original work by human artists, which is what sustains their careers. Separately, the national artists' body CARFAC urged support for Canadian artists amid the trade dispute with the US, noting that artist budgets are often the first to be cut. Staff say their aim for a busy September is simply to keep human culture alive.
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