When Margaret Atwood said, "there is something in your throat that wants to get out and you won't let it." and then Franz Kafka wrote, "And what I really intended to say in the end remains unsaid."
its true that romance amd friendship will not solve everything but. objectively speaking its very hard to get sad when you can say 'lets go get cake tomorrow okay' and someone will go get cake with you. like there is some good at least. you know
So you can avoid them stealing things from you, the artist/writer, etc.
Note: The list has gotten so long that I had to reorganize. (Thanks for the suggestions.) I UXed it best I could. I'm updating the best I can as notes come in. As such, I'm adding an update date since Tumblr doesn't update the old blogs with the newer version.
Additional Note: GenAI, an algorithm and AI tools aren't the same.
GenAI requires vast servers to constantly run 24-7, kicking up harmful fumes which are killing people, absorbing hospital energy, vast amounts of water, and generally killing the planet using data stolen from real people. This is bad. (links at the bottom)
Algorithms I've gone into detail before what they are and how they work on my post about Why Spell Check is not GenAI. Click the link. Too long for here.
AI tools run on your computer and are programmed using your power, not external servers. It depends on your RAM. It's not taken with stolen data from other users. Things like Gaussian Blur, etc might borderline be considered AI to some people (though not really) and things like smart tools (smart lasso), but this is not equal to GenAI in an ethics violation. So environmental impact depends on where you live, but certainly isn't purposefully giving other people cancer because they want a picture of Miyazaki-style selfie of themselves while totally being ignorant of the meaning of Miyazaki's films making people want to bash them over the head with a clue stick. These tools CAN run on large servers, but most scientists aren't running say, how to find the next prime number on vast huge servers in poor communities. GenAI, which is being used for cancer cure stuff, etc is in poor communities. Chess AI is run locally on your computer, but doesn't have as huge ethics issues. Tools the save time, but don't kill people isn't an ethics problem.
As such this focuses on GenAI, itself and the servers it runs on being an ethical violation on so many fronts.
Pro AI counts as their user's data in and data out. All companies that are willing to sell their customer's data for AI falls here. Gross support of GenAI, saying GenAI is the future, screw the poor people, goes here. GenAI added to the program belongs here.
Neutral counts as No Data into GenAI or an easy opt out, but doesn't protect against AI content of any kind. Sliding scale for how much of each. I try to tell you by how much with links. Also some not sure or no clear Anti-statement. (Say Celtx who was threatening to go Pro-genAI, the strike happened and then they went silent on the issue... I'm wary of them.)
Anti AI counts as no data into AI no GenAI machine. If there is an anti-AI comment I can access then I'll link it.
Update: US time. August 5th Version, Afternoon
Pro GenAI websites/Programs:
Social Media
Facebook
Threads (owned by facebook)
Instagram
X/Twitter (Remember, Grok's servers gives people cancer)
Duolingo Language learning App
Youtube went pro-genAI. This is different from the algorithm. They are owned by Google. They are using people's handmade subs for hearing impaired for the Large Language Models, which has shaky legal ground. It's currently being sued over. They are also adding to it anything to detect facial scans. Which has shown problems with racism before: (ACLU): https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/news/biased-technology-automated-discrimination-facial-recognition (Facial recognition note by Buds-and-baubles. See reblog.)
Writing
Pro Writing Aid
Grammarly
Google Docs/Google- Going full on pro AI including Youtube. They are also suppressing anti-GenAI results on their search engine. (Duckduckgo isn't, BTW because I can see it on SearXNG.)
Microsoft Word/all Microsoft products Takes from and will feed their machine.
Proton as suggested by SF Stories (see reblog) is pro AI (as the reblog from McBitchTits pointed out) They are missing a spreadsheet, but have online and offline capabilities, plus a built-in VPN. They came out with their own AI tool: https://proton.me/blog/lumo-ai But also swears never to use their user's data: "Acknowledging these concerns and recognising that three in five (60%) workers would like to use AI despite four in five (79%) being concerned about the use of their private data for training purposes, Proton Scribe promises never to use data from users’ inboxes. The company backed up its claim by asserting that the standard end-to-end encryption makes this impossible." (https://www.techradar.com/pro/proton-is-launching-an-ai-tool-to-help-you-write-better-emails) I'd feel wary about that, especially if they get close to GenAI collapse. (Also that stat is crazy, either you're for it, or you're against it, if you're for it, you need to be on board with it using your data to feed the machine.). Proton's CEO also supported Trump.
Notion (I feel this was like a troll).
Art
Sites
Deviant Art Not only supports AI, but put a tool in and said they are going to steal your work if you like it or not for their machine. There is an opt-out, but they made it labo[u]r intensive. You have to check it off EVERY TIME. And you can reduce, not eliminate GenAI in the results. This tips it over into being Pro-GenAI still. (last note modified per Usagi-Zakura's reblog) Find a better site below.
Pinterest went pro-GenAI [link] making the site unusable since it was often used for inspo from the REAL WORLD and REAL images to create weddings, etc.
Art Programs (Raster, and Vector)+ Suites
Adobe Products. All of them. If you HAVE to use them (Some businesses require it), save offline because there is a film of at least some privacy protections there, so if you have to sue, you can say it violates US privacy law. Remember, contracts do not circumvent US law. Adobe wants to claim they don't feed their machine with your art, but that's not in the legal agreements and famously the legal agreements changed. Legal agreements can supersede other claims on the website, though one could theoretically sue for predatory practices, it's a harder case.
Corel won't feed the machines, but still uses AI stolen from other artists. Which sucks since Corel Draw is the second best overall for vector programs. (Plus I love Painter, but I bought the offline version to avoid AI). (Canadian company)
Photopea which is an image editing program went pro GenAI according to cat-of-many-faces in comments.
PaintTool Sai has NO AI in or out, BUT it's parent company is Systemax who is proGenAI. Search for in the page: "including natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning" Code for Pro-GenAi. They are made in Japan. Be wary. (BTW, Paintool SAI was bought by Systemax, so if you have the earlier version, you aren't supporting Systemax).
Online Art Programs
Canva Takes and feeds their machine. Alternatives are Presentation software. (See LibreOffice) and Moodboard software. Not sure? Milanote doesn't have GenAI (or the search engines are suppressing the results, which I found recently is a thing), but also no anti-AI stance. Creativit on Mac has a Moodboard function without AI (for now) No anti-AI stance, but snap.
Snappa has GenAI
Pixlr (This one hurt me personally)
3D Modeling
Sketchup went Pro-GenAI. The thing is that you can do the same thing in Blender these days with precise measurements.
Autodesk has stated they are Pro-Gen AI here. It is not clear if they will use your models to feed their machine. But be on guard. They make Maya and 3Dmax. You can replace it with Blender.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
DropBox went Pro-AI causing massive backlash against the company.
QuarkXPress added GenAI in 2025 [Link]
Figma has GenAI
Neutral ground:
Social Media
Tumblr (there is a way to opt out [Link] and they don't have an active AI machine.) https://www.tumblr.com/dookins/743519550598987776/heres-how-to-disable-third-parties-like-ai They did sell the data to OpenAI, but there is an opt out, and they block GenAI bots. The report about it is here. Shaky ground. Leans more toward Pro-AI. (See comments for correction and added last sentence).
Etsy allows GenAI, but still has some (minor) restrictions. I'd still be cautious. (Also be cautious of drop shippers). Complaints about too much AI and AI images+patterns made by Ai still exist on the website. They lean slightly more pro-AI, but still won't let it run completely amok, say like Facebook. They won't feed your work into a machine, but also don't ban it through robots.txt.
Bluesky They don't use an AI algorithm except for in the "Discover" section of their website, but while they are anti-GenAI strongly, they don't seem to block the Gen AI bots from entry, so you'd still have to use Nightshade or Glaze (links below). They also still allow people to post AI images/text on the website. There is no opt-out because they don't need an opt out. (Leaning towards strong position on AI, but I wish they would block GenAI bots).
Mastodon *might* have some anti-AI art community servers on it. When I looked there are some servers that are explicitly aggressive about being anti-AI in moderation. It's a bit difficult for those not tech savvy to use. Because of its decentralized nature (more so than Blue Sky) it's easier to filter for anti-AI art. Because it's decentralized, though, the rest of the servers ould have AI art.
Cannot find AI stances for:
Final Draft, Celtx (the Scriptwriting Software giants) Celtx was going to threaten pro-GenAI (I wrote them a strongly worded letter), the strike happened, they went radio silent suddenly, didn't add it... and now I'm wary... but they won't make an anti statement. Final Draft won't make a definitive statement either way?
BTW, I'm working on a Scrivener template set to replace them on that.
Search Engine Replacement
Searxng- If you super want to screw over Google, in general, and have some tech savvy, you can set up your own search engine through searxng. It's easier on Windows and Linux than it is on a Mac. (Mac you need Docker), but if you're determined on privacy, Searxng adds a layer of privacy. Some of it sometimes uses bits of AI, but most of it doesn't and you can fuss with the settings so it doesn't spit out AI results. At sheer minimum Google will stop spitting out weird videos on Youtube at you because in your private browsing, you searched for the origin of ball bearings while not logged in for a book and Google likes to break privacy laws.
Writing
Novelr Anti-AI stance (last post) here: https://www.threads.com/@novlrofficial/post/C_immJrotiC Earlier thoughts on AI here: https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/ai-and-you-emerging-technology-and-what-it-means-for-writers/ Unfortunately they are still partnered with ProWritingAid, which is pro GenAI.
Advanced proofreader powered by ProWritingAid.
This puts it into neutral ground. When they kick out ProWritingAid, then they can be anti. BTW, they aren't the only platform that is/or was owned by writers...
Talk is cheap, proof is in the pudding and the pudding failed. This leans them more pro-genAI than they know.
Obsidian-It's a writing and organizational tool. Plugins may contain genAI company doesn't vet them according to borealtwilight in comments.
Art
Sites
Newgrounds: Stronger on the no AI art side, but still allow pieces in specific cases, it's not a total ban. Allowed AI is highlighted in bold to make it easier to skim.:
AI-generated art is not allowed in the Art Portal. This includes using tools such as Midjourney, Dall-E, and CrAIyon, in addition fractal generators and websites like ArtBreeder, where the user selects two images and they are combined into a new image via machine learning.
There are cases where some use of AI is ok, for example if you are primarily showcasing your character art but use an AI-generated background. In these cases, please note any elements where AI was used so that it is clear to users and moderators.
Tracing and coloring over AI-generated art is something best shared on your blog, as it is much like tracing over someone else's art.
Making art from scratch that is inspired by an AI piece is ok. Here are two good examples: Maiden of Flames and Hermin. Both pieces reference the AI art they are based on while being original pieces in their own right.
Bottom line: We want to keep the focus on art made by people and not have the Art Portal flooded with computer-generated art. https://www.newgrounds.com/wiki/help-information/terms-of-use/art-guidelines
Cara is totally anti-AI in contrast. You would be too if someone profited from your artwork by simply reversing it and changing the color scheme a little.
BTW, It's BS to call Backgrounds not real art. Tips it more towards pro-AI.
Online Art Programs
Milanote?- Moodboard software. To get full features you have to pay per month (which isn't ideal since the free version is very, very limited) There is no pro or anti-genAI statement I can find. But so far there is no GenAI on the platform. This is a *not sure* category.
Creativit- is offline, free and on Mac only Moodboard software. It's a pretty straight forward program, so no AI. Has snapping features and no frills. Since they are small, it doesn't have AI, but there is no anti-AI statement either.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
WeTransfer has a murky TOS statement. https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/789157028107010048/we-transfer-went-to-the-genai-dark-side?source=share which I covered here. They swear they won't, but then they didn't specify they wouldn't in the TOS. As I said, you can sue for deceptive practices, but doesn't mean you will win.
Strong positions against AI
Social Media
Nothing so far. Please program something that's anti-AI.
Writing
Offline (mostly)
Scrivener (Creator vowed against adding GenAI during Nanowrimo scandal #2 on Twitter. Request for AI features has been denied.) Writing program. There is an active forum, and versions for Mac, Linux and PC. It is paid, but at ~60 USD, it's cheaper than most programs. There is usually a holiday sale around Christmas. It has a learning curve, but with an active forum with the programmer of it there to ask obscure questions it's not a dead zone. They often take suggestions and implement them over time. (Especially if you rank the importance, applications, etc) US company.
Scrivener works with Mac, Windows and Linux (with some fussing): https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/tutorial-running-scrivener-3-1-5-1-under-linux-w-wine-64bit-with-activation/136046
Also has sharing and comparing versions capability as long as you have a cloud harddisk.
LibreOffice Open source and free Spreadsheet and Word processor program that can replace Microsoft Office (Word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, drawing, formula, database creator). Some people might have seen older versions where it was called Neo Office (now extinct) and Open Office. LibreOffice is still populated, plus the forums are super helpful if you get stuck. The UX is pretty intuitive if you've used Microsoft Word. Scrivener, BTW, supports exporting to odt (the native file) as well as .doc, and this can open both. The slight thing is that sometimes it doesn't export to .doc smoothly. And I DO wish more magazines, and agent (big clue here) supported .odt files since it is free. Part of the reason .odt isn't as supported is because Microsoft and Adobe have a deal with the devil with each other, so Adobe's Book formatting program InDesign doesn't support ODT. (BTW, if you have a good open source replacement for InDesign that supports ODT, let me know.)
yWriter is a free Writing program and like Scrivener, and has vowed against AI Last I looked it had some UX issues, but some people swear by it. The learning curve is higher than Scrivener because of the worse UX.
Dabble (as suggested by SF stories, see reblog) is a writing program. Similar to Scrivener. Has vowed against AI and to resist it. 108 dollars a year for Basic. It is almost twice the price of Scrivener who lets you update for fairly cheap. 29 dollars a month, v. 59 dollars for the whole program (Scrivener). Scrivener, for the 59 dollars a month has all of the same features of Dabble at Premium, making Dabble in total more than triple the price of Scrivener. You choose.
NovelWriter is an Open source writing program done offline. It has less capabilities than Scrivener or YWriter or Dabble. (Can't make templates, Can't save to cloud to compare) The GUI isn't as slick, but because of that it's super easy to use and lower entry in learning curve. (anonymous suggestion through inbox)
StudioBinder- is a script to video production software. Made an Anti-GenAI statement on their Youtube channel (see below).
This is not an official Anti-AI stance and might be tongue-in-cheek. But does look serious as something they are NOT interested in. Pricing is here: https://app.studiobinder.com/pricing
Phone/Online Writing
Ellipsus is an online writing program and vowed against AI [Link]. The main feature I like (which Scrivener doesn't have) is the ability to change spellcheck based on region/language. It is a requested feature of Scrivener, but lower priority. So if you have a Brit, you can get the spelling for the character. They are a German-based company in Berlin.
Writer P AKA Writer+ (app for when you're on the go) is a simple word processor app for your phone that doesn't use AI. (Find on the Android app store) The original programmer stopped updating, so Writer+ programmer took over and isn't out to make a profit since it's free in the spirit of the original app. It has subfolders you can use. Since it was programmed before GenAI it doesn't have AI. Intuitive, easy to use. Fairly easy to upload the files through three dots->share. The files can save to your card or phone with some settings fussing. Simple word processor.
Art
Sites
Cara.app (The creator of the website sued GenAI there is no chance they'll convert) is an artist website. Cara is trying to institute an auto Glaze/Nightshade into the website if given enough funds. People see it as a soft replacement for deviant art. (which went fully AI) If you believe in human art, please donate if you can. Zhang Jingna, the creator, is Chinese-Singporean. She lives in Singapore.
Artgram is an art posting website with a super strong Anti-AI statement It will delete all Ai art and has detection measures in place. And signatures added to the art so they can form you legal protection and make takedown requests. It is free to use.
Fur Affinity Hard ban on All AI use, not even backgrounds. Furry Art posting website. BTW, found this and Artgram on this website: https://brushwarriors.com/art-websites-that-ban-ai/ which does not show as any kind of result on Google, because Google is trying to block anti-AI content as of last week from the search results. (About the day after I posted the Grok gives poor people cancer). You can only find it using a searxng search.
Handmade vowed against AI (Selling any artwork with AI, and also drop shipping, etc) and promised to never sell itself for stock prices to prevent AI (as a replacement for Etsy.)
Discover a world of creativity and craftsmanship through Handmade, an innovative platform connecting passionate artisans with discerning buy
Art Programs (Raster, and Vector)+ Suites
Affinity (Suite program) swore to be AI-free and does Vector and Photos (I haven't checked out their InDesign equivalent). The UX is messy, I dislike the program and regret paying for it. Inkscape and Krita (both free) are better UX and do the same thing. The forums aren't as friendly since there has been an onslaught of people seeing it's supposed to be a replacement for Photoshop and Illustrator (Marketing by the creators of the program that the users disagree with), and the people of the forums don't like this advertisement and are sometimes really mean and snippy about it. The programmers aren't present. The capabilities of the program don't outshine basically Krita or Inkscape capabilities (both free). What is usually intuitive is not. UK company. If you're going to pay for a program, go for Clip Studio Paint which rivals Corel Painter. My review for Affinity Designer is here: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/776698728716337152/affinity-designer-2weaknesses-and-strengths Conclusion, can't outdo the free Inkscape. It has serious workflow issues. AND if the FREE Inkscape can import layers better than Affinity designer from an eps file, it's not worth it to switch. Just use Inkscape. Note that Vector programs are the most difficult to program compared to everything else. https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/776572269385433088/tip-for-switching-from-adobe-illustrator-to AND I did all of the adjusting in order to do the importation correctly and still hated it. It's the UX. (Brits, dudes, sometimes you guys have the weirdest UX logic and I say this as a US person.). If I'm going to pay for a vector program it has to do better than the free one in UX and features. Not before then. Same with all of their others. For the Affinity programmers, BTW, hire someone Japanese to fix your UX, it's that bad. It's like crawling through a historically accurate Victorian house and trying to find the house keys. Learn thoughtful intuitive minimalism and prioritization of features. You're off doing zed that makes programmers happy, when you should be working on the core first that makes you money.
Clip Studio Paint is a mostly raster, somewhat Vector program that does comics, illustration and animation. They added genAI, but saw the light and decided to protect artists instead because of protest and removed it. It can do 2D animation, and generally is a replacement for Corel Painter and can do manga/comics, etc. I'd still recommend paying for the offline version rather than monthly subscription just in case they change their minds back, at least you'll still have the program AI free without worry about them stealing directly as you're drawing. There are tutorials and a good forum if you get super stuck. Based in Japan, so the UI and UX is really clean.
Tahoma2D is anti-AI and open source animation program. Takes a little getting used to, but is good for animations and doesn't crash as often as Animate. Programmers are in the forums and some bugs are fixed within hours. The forums are super responsive and helpful.
Krita is a raster-only open source and free, no AI. I'd rank it secondary to Clip Studio Paint (which is paid) I haven't tried the forums, but it's pretty intuitive and can stand for a lower level replacement for Painter, and do a lot of the basics of Photoshop. It's usually ranked higher than the equally open source Gimp.
Inkscape is a free vector program and no AI. It is harder to use than illustrator and has less features. But if you're doing smaller vectors for one-offs with less complexity, it'll do you after some learning curve. Best of the lot. I hate Affinity Designer which is the same thing, only paid. (Neither Affinity program was worth the money paid)
StudioBinder- is a script to video production software. But I put them also down here because it can also do Moodboards. Made an Anti-GenAI statement on their Youtube channel:
This is not an official Anti-AI stance and might be tongue-in-cheek. But does look serious as something they are NOT interested in. Pricing is here: https://app.studiobinder.com/pricing
Online Art Programs
ProCreate: Anti AI Stance as noted by mortavaine (in comments). It's an art Studio and can be used on an iPhone. 12.99 (currently) for the Art Studio one, time dealie, not reoccurring. 19.99 (currently) for the animation software. Based in Australia.
3D Modeling
Blender is a 3D art program and does not use GenAI. It can do 2D animation, but Tahoma is easier to use in this regard. It's open source and free. Plus there are plenty of tutorials. The forums can be touch and go sometimes, but there are plenty of sub Blender communities that might be responsive. It can also do animation. After Version 7-8 the UX vastly improved and a ton of features were added.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
Swiss Transfer: The Swiss government is going to put strict restrictions on AI and have pretty strict privacy laws. So they can't steal your content.
It has a better deal than WeTransfer did after the buyout.
In the fallout from WeTransfer there is also this list (but I haven't vetted it).
We compared 8 WeTransfer competitors based on functionality, use cases, user reviews, and of course, price. Which one is best for your needs
Because you need to send files to clients without breaking NDAs.
Scribus is a replacement for InDesign and can layout magazines. It doesn't use GenAI, BUT be careful since there is a AI gen named after the program. (Because of course they would.) The learning curve is hard and it's not as advanced as Adobe for things, but it can layout magazines decently. So click the link instead.
Davinci Resolve Pro is a film editing software that's super good. Their CEO came hard against GenAI: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=205673 when it was brought up in the forums, as a request to add, there was a hard no from the CEO. There is a free version and a paid version. The forums are responsive. The programmers aren't always present. There is a healthy group of tutorials. US company. Clean UX. It does take a little bit of time to remember the shortcuts. Neutral. They won't take your data, but some of their tools are based on collected data. primary-blog-nothing-here. Cloud won't be used to train AI which they added after the whole Dropbox debacle. https://nofilmschool.com/blackmagic-ai-training-stance Note that AI tools is not the same as GenAI.
But you need a pro website...
Look up robots.txt and AI bots: https://www.cyberciti.biz/web-developer/block-openai-bard-bing-ai-crawler-bots-using-robots-txt-file/
Use cloudflare:
Use Nightshade:
https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/whatis.html
which will poison the algorithm and collapse the algorithm faster. I've seen Youtubers who are popular use it on their images they post to videos, and it made the AI bros irate. Some tried SOOO hard to argue how hopeless it was and how programmers would break the consent of artists. (Yeah, and they might wonder why they are single).
Use Glaze:
If you can't use Nightshade, use Glaze. You can't use Nightshade and Glaze at the same time, but some OS's and machines can't use Nightshade, so the secondary option is to use Glaze. This will blur your image enough in a particular way to make AI unable to read it.
Push companies towards anti-AI
Protest and Petition
Several sites gave in at least halfway or partially when people protested openly to the application. Crowd beats company every time. (Unless there are shareholders, in which case the next tip will help)
Don't buy monthly subscriptions when possible
This tip was on several Youtube videos (don't remember the creators' name, sorry, but I know one was a guy a long time ago). Newly made features every time you want to buy helps motivate the company to update, but also gives leverage to you, the consumer to actively protest the application and write a (Audrina) letter to the company.
Protest Monthly subscriptions. There was a really good video on the enshittification of Adobe, and it started around then, because that's when they became a Stock power. Don't give Stock Power to companies.
Look for Open Source Projects
They aren't rich enough to run servers, so won't add AI.
Convince Employers/Institutions that AI is not copyright protected and bad for branding.
Our biggest obstacle is here. As long as institutions get kickbacks from Adobe, etc and get donated funds, they are more than likely to use it as primary teaching material, which then undercuts their policies about no plagiarism. Point out that free programs are good or sometimes better than the paid ones AND it doesn't undercut their own message and they might convert.
Take Away
The thing is you think you doing it alone will do nothing, but the more AI feeds on itself, AI images, the worse they become, and the less detailed so, denying it the images, adding poison or not being able to read the human text is eventually going to lead to an AI collapse.
Analysis shows that indiscriminately training generative artificial intelligence on real and generated content, usually done by scrapi
And why not help that along?
I don't want to give cancer to poor people [Link] or make the planet burn faster [Link]. So GenAI collapse is everything I dream of. GenAI apocalypse is not.
Before I die, I want to be somebody's favourite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need to survive, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain I will keep it safe. I will keep it safe.
kitty cat purring gotta be in the top 1 sounds ever invented it's so awesome that there's a creature that can just be sitting and staring blankly at me but I know she's happy cause she's going brrrrrrrr
yousharknotpass
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
areudirty
