Can comics and AI ever integrate without threatening human creativity and agency?  

On the 4th of September, HCID hosted Comics & AI: Critical Prompts, a one-day conference packed with compelling presentations and discussions, which brought together artists, researchers, and technologists at City St George’s, University of London. 

The day kicked off with Dr Eduardo Alonso introducing “GenAI 101 for Comics”, a keynote that explained how generative AI actually works—from diffusion models to transformers—and what it means when words and images come together in comics. 

From there, the programme moved through a fascinating mix of perspectives. Dr Per Israelson expanded on the subject of GenAI 101 by investigating “LLMs as affective machines, generating meaning from multidimensional training material” through a reading of the manga Fastwalkers by Ilan Manouach. Dr Gareth Brookes explored how AI unsettles truth and memory in graphic memoirs, while Dr Giorgio Busi Rizzi asked whether we should think of creativity as “algorithmic co-creation”.  

Later, Dr Linda Berube looked at what a sociological study of comics and AI can tell us about creative life inside digital ecosystems. While Dr Despoina Farmaki dove into the thorny legal world of copyright using images created by GenAI to demonstrate that “the ink was never human”, Jasleen Kandhari examined the ethical challenges of bias, cultural appropriation, and ownership in AI-generated identities. 

Practitioners added their voices too: comics creator Karrie Fransman shared her experiments with immersive, “un-AI-able” storytelling, while Viraj Joshi presented Eliza – The Ghost in Every Machine, a speculative comic that resists narrow technological futures. Dr Julian Lawrence also presented his own comic based on  prompts querying the “lesser-discussed origins of computing” and ChatGPT’s “evasive responses, sanitised histories, and algorithmic gatekeeping”. 

Other speakers examined prompt and output using ChatGPT, including Dr Aaron Humphrey who used ChatGPT’s interpretation of newsprint images like John Bull to illustrate how “national imaginaries”—or concepts of nation—evolve. Jane Burns also drew on a ChatGPT interaction in her exploration of the role of comics and AI in the development of social innovation education. 

The closing keynote by Dr Ian Hague pushed the debate further, asking how the field might change if we move beyond the polarised #NoAI vs. pro-AI standoff. A final panel brought together voices from across the day—including Paul Gravett, Ernesto Priego, Francesca Benatti, Linda Berube, and Ed Alonso—to reflect on the possibilities and challenges ahead. 

What became clear throughout was that there are no easy answers, but there are thought-provoking questions. Can AI be a collaborator rather than a threat? What counts as authorship in an algorithmic age? And how can comics continue to connect us—ethically and creatively—in the face of rapid technological change? 

Comics & AI: Critical Prompts was a reminder that comics are not just about panels and pages—they are also a powerful lens for thinking about society, culture, and the technologies that shape our world. 

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who took part. Your thoughtful insights, creative perspectives, and spirited dialogue made this event truly unforgettable. Thank you for helping us better understand the evolving intersection of comics, creativity, and AI. 

Full PDFs of the Programme and Abstracts and Bios.

A collected edition (book) of all contributions is in the works.

Explore more at comicsandai.org.