gen ai creeping into the sims community as well as some of my favorite game companies is so incredibly unfortunate that it's loomed on my mind longer than i'd like it to. however, it's moments like these where i get slapped with an epiphany
oftentimes, it's really easy to shift the blame onto an individual without addressing the core issue. it's almost like if we shame a person enough, it'll make them learn. but that's the thing about shame, it's a short-term solution to a long-term problem. what i've come to learn is shame does not change people, it makes them resentful. i've been guilty of it and i'm not proud of it. we often forget that acquiring any knowledge, comes with making mistakes, but it's the people that have honest yet constructive conversations with you and encourage growth is how you get through it. i believe this is also what can make a community healthy rather than aiming for sole positivity
the truth is, the most we can do to impact gen ai is to educate, share resources and form movements within communities. the core issues lie within governments lack of regulation and big companies not being held accountable however that's a whole separate conversation
what i've come to recognize with gen ai in creative spaces is people fail to recognize the difference between true art and something that is generated. i realized this with swen vincke from larian studios wanting to utilize gen ai as a reference similar to google or art books. what is being forgotten is the mind is the best source of inspiration. creativity comes from you. nothing is original but it's the human experience, what you chose that resonates with you brings uniqueness to an idea. no machine will ever do that for you. it can only give you an amalgamation of choices it made for you but it isn't handcrafted by you. art is a lot of things to people, but i don't think it would be wild to say that art is what's authentic to you. it's an accumulation of your experiences, thoughts and feelings projected onto somewhere and there's beauty in vulnerability
so, all of this got me thinkin... i want to try something
a lot of the issue in ai usage in ts4 community stems from a lack of knowledge on how to edit or the desire to reach a level that takes time and effort. there was a point in time, many years ago, where it felt like i was grinding teeth to try and learn something and then a friend introduced me to using textures. and that small sliver of knowledge felt revolutionary
so i'd like to encourage everyone to post one or multiple pieces of knowledge whether it's an editing/writing tip, an editing/writing resource, a reshade/gshade preset or even a tutorial of some sort! if you're a cc creator, you're totally welcome to joining in! i know gen ai has swept into the cc spaces
some examples ft some cool simblrs:
how to add font into a photo
how to draw hair
storytelling tips on how to plan a story
settings for sharpening
finding the right angle for pictures in game
psd for sharpening
if you wouldn't mind hashtaging it as "simblrsagainstai" so i can reblog it! or you can tag me as well!
my first few things i will share because they're already prepared:
a copy of ps (2) (3) (ps 2025 link provided by @/morrigan-sims)
a copy of topaz clean | (this video has topaz clean and keys)
- note on topaz clean and photoshop here! i'm working on finding a workaround | @/loveryss shared this download of ps that works with topaz | @/sleepingsims mentioned that topaz works with gimp as well
mini tutorial on how to edit a screenshot without reshade
a texture pack and tutorial
my own tag of little bits of knowledge and tutorials throughout the years
update 1/4/26: i've added a tag for those participating! thank you so much! here's the tag: bonk. also i've added in a note for the ps and topaz download
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass
dailybridgerton
origamiaround
titsay
ellievsbear
