From the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
The AAEC Board of Directors has written an open letter to the leaders of The Baltimore Sun After creating and publishing an AI-generated image, it was passed off as an editorial cartoon.
On September 4, 2026, the sun He published what can technically only be called an “illustration” that he intended his readers to accept as an editorial cartoon. Whatever the intention, the only message the sun What it really accomplished was that it finally and completely renounced any claim it might have had to its journalistic legitimacy and its former place among the country’s leading newspapers. We’re told this isn’t the first use of AI for creative content.
The illustration in question was not drawn by an artist or even a human being. It was a waste of Artificial Intelligence, generated in response to youthful and uninformed indications. The result was, as expected, uninteresting and an insult to journalism, art and The suns readers.
The Sun is not alone among American newspapers that opt for this degrading solution. But it stands apart because for many years it published the work of one of our country’s leading political cartoonists, Kevin Kallaugher (better known as KAL), a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and internationally acclaimed artist. KAL was let go the sun in what was called a “cost-cutting” measure. KAL is a long-time emeritus member of the AAEC.
The AAEC condemns the use of AI for its theft from artists, its misuse of our planet’s resources, and its threat to original and creative thinking. The road to hell – an America that has outsourced its most important human work – is paved with cost-cutting measures. This rubbish published by the sun It could also be a signpost pointing the way for publications like the Sun until a certain irrelevance and then disappearance.
We urge the sun reverse course and take the lead in rejecting the use of AI for editorial cartoons and other creative content for both practical and moral reasons. If so, you can begin to reclaim your place as a leader in American journalism.
marc murphy
President
American Editorial Cartoonists Association