Guidelines update regarding AI + new badges!

[Sir Hugsalot 9,293]

Greetings, everypony!

Today I come to you with two big news regarding our forums! I will skip excessive introduction and just go right into it! 

1. New badges for art contest participants!

Let's start off with exciting news. @Treeglow Flicker  has a real treat for all you, lovely art ponies that participate in our art contests! For quite a while we wanted to implement something that will be a permanent award for you! 

Allow me to introduce brand new badges!

Spoiler

 

3rd place winner badge

Spoiler

2nd place winner badge

Spoiler

1st place winner badge

I wish you all good luck and I look forward to seeing who gets to earn them in our art contests <3

2. Guidelines update regarding use of AI

As we all know AI is becoming bigger and bigger part of Internet as well as global society at large due to its steadily improving capabilities at imitating humans. That gives us both the opportunities by potentially simplifying otherwise difficult tasks, but also challenges in form of fake news, impersonation attempts, not to mention plagiarism and issues related to that. 

Since we are online, social community it is essential for us to ensure, that posts and other content published here is done by human hands. Because of that our guidelines will include following restriction:

• Posts/blog entries/status updates made exclusively with AI-generated content are strictly forbidden. The only exception is our AI generated art section. 
• All things above, written with partial AI usage are permitted for as long as following terms are met:
  • AI generated content is highlighted and properly, visibly credited
  • User provides their own observation regarding AI generated text 

All the posts that don't meet criteria specified above are from now on are subject to moderation actions. Each post that is suspected to be made with AI will be reviewed both by our moderation team and AI detectors.

Allow me to voice importance of this decision - AI is an amazing tool, however in online, social circles it can be used to easily and artificially boost one's own activity, popularity and make them appear as a different person than they really are. I can't deny that AI can be a good tool in researching and information gathering, but it cannot be used as a replacement to real human interactions in a community like this. 

Should any of you have any questions related to these announcement, now's the time to ask them! 

[Ice Princess Silky <3 13,552]

Well said, my love.

As for the badges... *happy squee*

I love the fact that you didn't mention the hidden one for ... particularly dedicated artists in the Event's Artist Contest. It's definitely not easy to obtain but I snuck a peek in the hidden staff page of the Secret Secret Events Book and I saw a glimpse of it! 

Good luck, everyone!

[Sir Hugsalot 9,293]

Moments ago, Ice Princess Silky said:

Well said, my love.

As for the badges... *happy squee*

I love the fact that you didn't mention the hidden one for ... particularly dedicated artists in the Event's Artist Contest. It's definitely not easy to obtain but I snuck a peek in the hidden staff page of the Secret Secret Events Book and I saw a glimpse of it! 

Good luck, everyone!

My love! That's a secret! 

*pulls a curtain all over that part*

There, I'm sure nobody will notice anything about any hidden badge now!  Crisis averted!

[Ice Princess Silky <3 13,552]

Just as a little reminder, that these badges shall be effective immediately for those who participate in the Event's Team Art Contests from here on out!



The ranks that you obtain are temporary -- about a 3 month life span. But the badges are for your profile pages -- forever <3 
 

The page above is showing you the temporary ranks -- erroneously called badges because they were seen as a type of award. But since the system update on the site, badges are more like adornments on your profile page. Ranks are what show up underneath your name and profile pic of the forums. 

[EpicEnergy 23,176]

*raises hand*

When you say AI content, does this apply to both media and written content?

Does the second condition for partial AI content does not apply to media? Or in other words, I'm wondering if only the first term needs to be fulfilled for AI media since the second term only mentions AI written content. 

______

Anyways, that's all the questions I have, I'm assuming these rules apply to all forms of AI content but just wanted to check. Very interesting too, these rules help flavor interactions and content on the site by making it natural rather than artificial.

[aestheticloudice 70]

@Sir Hugsalot Hiiiii, How can i take part in this contest? Also I'm new to this art contest thing so i want know how everything works 

[Nitobit 1,766]

5 hours ago, aestheticloudice said:

@Sir Hugsalot Hiiiii, How can i take part in this contest? Also I'm new to this art contest thing so i want know how everything works 

Yay, new artist! 

Here's everything you need to know. 

[Silly Druid 6,909]

My avatar is AI generated, is that OK?

[Sir Hugsalot 9,293]

On 2024-09-15 at 11:10 PM, EpicEnergy said:

*raises hand*

When you say AI content, does this apply to both media and written content?

Does the second condition for partial AI content does not apply to media? Or in other words, I'm wondering if only the first term needs to be fulfilled for AI media since the second term only mentions AI written content. 

______

Anyways, that's all the questions I have, I'm assuming these rules apply to all forms of AI content but just wanted to check. Very interesting too, these rules help flavor interactions and content on the site by making it natural rather than artificial.

It applies to all AI content posted outside section I've listed before. AI art can be posted in section made for it specifically so that it's not mixed with art made by human artists 

 

25 minutes ago, Silly Druid said:

My avatar is AI generated, is that OK?

Yes. Avatars and signatures are fine 

[Lawyer Slip 2,526]

pogs in the chat. this gonna be sick

[Ice Princess Silky <3 13,552]

3 hours ago, Silly Druid said:

My avatar is AI generated, is that OK?

*giggles* So long as you're not claiming you created the art in your profile, there is no problem, lovely <3 

On 2024-09-16 at 5:14 AM, aestheticloudice said:

@Sir Hugsalot Hiiiii, How can i take part in this contest? Also I'm new to this art contest thing so i want know how everything works 

I am SO excited to see your art in the art contests, lovely!! 

[Silly Druid 6,909]

One more thing: some of the posts I made some time ago in "Post A Quote From Your Day, Without Any Context" come from an AI. Since the idea of that thread is not to provide context, I didn't specify these were made by AI. Is that acceptable under the new rules?

[Samurai Equine 50,994]

1 hour ago, Silly Druid said:

One more thing: some of the posts I made some time ago in "Post A Quote From Your Day, Without Any Context" come from an AI. Since the idea of that thread is not to provide context, I didn't specify these were made by AI. Is that acceptable under the new rules?

Long story short, if anyone asks where the Quote comes from, just be honest. 
Short story long, we're only cracking down in places where actual social activity happens. The topic "Post A Quote From Your Day, Without Any Context" is more of a casual game, not really a place of discussion. Not unless someone gets curious and asks where the quote came from, of course.

[aestheticloudice 70]

11 hours ago, Ice Princess Silky said:

*giggles* So long as you're not claiming you created the art in your profile, there is no problem, lovely <3 

I am SO excited to see your art in the art contests, lovely!! 

Thank you!!!!!! ✨

[FirePuppy 734]

I used to use AI on a lot of my YouTube videos, but after hearing about AI getting the best of us, I no longer do AI anymore. It's not really worth it.

[Ice Princess Silky <3 13,552]

5 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

I used to use AI on a lot of my YouTube videos, but after hearing about AI getting the best of us, I no longer do AI anymore. It's not really worth it.

I feel you there. Someone tried to use AI to take credit over someone else's art style by teaching the AI to mimic the art without the artist's consent. So, it truly is something growing a bit out of hand. Almost fascinating for the new internet age. Never imagined MLPF 10 years later, from the date that I joined, would have these modern issues. LOL

[Samurai Equine 50,994]

16 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

I used to use AI on a lot of my YouTube videos, but after hearing about AI getting the best of us, I no longer do AI anymore. It's not really worth it.

This reminds me of a wonderful interaction on social media.

Someone was using an AI recreation of a famous voice actor. They were using this AI just to make silly videos on YouTube, possibly monetized. It was all fun and games, but the joke went too far. It was being used to say things the actual voice actor doesn't endorse.
After hearing about it, the voice actor contacted the Youtuber, and politely asked them to stop. This voice actor had never consented to having his vocal DNA recreated via AI, and he preferred people not use it.
And thankfully, the YouTuber understood and respectfully complied with the voice actor's wishes. The videos using AI were taken down, and the YouTuber never used AI again.

We could all learn a thing or two from this interaction. Thankfully, the content in question was no masterpiece; just jokes and memes. Nothing of real value lost.
It's my opinion that AI is fine for personal use, for fun without profit. But the law has yet to catch up to the growing AI situation. There are conversations about plagiarism, theft, and most of all, a big lack of consent from the celebrities, creators, and various other sources used to make AI more reliable. Maybe one day, the law will catch up. There's all ready been writer strikes in Hollywood, with creators doing their best to fight against the use of AI so that they'll still have jobs. I especially don't want to see anyone lose their jobs nor be conned by pretenders using AI. But as long as you are using AI for your own amusement and nothing else, and as long as you support the wishes of others who may not have consented to be a resource for AI, then you'll be just fine.