The self-published zine has long been a key part of cultural revolutions, from queer activism and Black feminism to the riot grrrl punk movement, giving us titles like Sniffin’ Glue and Sweet-Thang along the way. But now, this traditionally analog art form is facing a new shift: artificial intelligence.
AI might seem out of place in the world of these DIY booklets, but some creatives, designers, and artists have started experimenting with the technology, sparking concern in parts of the underground publishing scene. It’s become their “Dylan-goes-electric” moment.
“AI is taking away a lot of people’s ability to think critically for themselves,” says Rachel Goldfinger, a video editor and illustrator based in Philadelphia who has published an anti-AI zine.
“Of all the art forms I’m involved in, zines make the least sense to use AI for. They’re supposed to be handmade and rough around the edges.”
Zines are usually self-published on plain paper, with much smaller print runs than traditional magazines, and are often hand-drawn.
Jeremy Leslie, founder of the magazine retailer MagCulture, has noticed AI slowly entering zine culture. “The zines using AI that I know of have used the technology on purpose, as an experiment, and often to show that it can’t match human creativity,” he said.
Notably, most AI-powered zines are online-only. AI has been used to help design layouts, generate artwork, and make the creative process more efficient.
Product designer Jesse Pimenta and writer Cheyce Batchelor created a 97-page zine inspired by the 90s using Figma’s AI tools. They praised how it let them “rearrange things without using too much mental energy.”
In 2023, Steve Simkins, an IT engineer, used AI to help produce an online photo zine while working at a US tech startup. He used AI to code and publish the website hosting the zine, but created the content himself.
“I asked ChatGPT to help build an online zine with HTML, and I provided the image links. It would give me some HTML, I’d open it in my browser, then ask ChatGPT to tweak things until I had something I liked.”
At the time, he saw AI as a “democratizing tool” that gave opportunities to artists who lacked technical skills, “where AI could help improve their work while still keeping the main art intact.”
Zinemakers are among the loudest critics of using AI to create art. Some are making anti-AI zines as a form of protest. Maddie Marshall spent a year working on a 92-page zine opposing the technology, which she now sells on Etsy, the online craft marketplace. Marshall, a video editor and illustrator based in Melbourne, was inspired to create it after feeling pressured to use AI at work.
“I felt the need to share my views on it and get people to question why these technologies are being pushed on us so heavily,” she said.
Goldfinger created her anti-AI zine, I Should Be Allowed To Think – named after a 1994 song by the American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants – because she feels AI is making it harder for artists to find work.
She said using AI to speed up her work goes against her creative values. “I don’t respect it at all,” she said. All of her zines are handmade. “I don’t want to rush the process. That defeats the purpose for me,” she added.
Ione Gamble, founder of the feminist zine Polyester based in London, adds that AI is “not something we use or support using. Whether it’s for generating images or writing. We review all submitted articles through…””Run it through an AI checker now to make sure we’re not publishing AI-written content.”
Zoe Thompson founded Sweet-Thang zine in 2017. It’s a community print zine that showcases work from Black creatives around the world. For her, the urge to create art is a powerful feeling, and she feels that using AI directly goes against that.
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Sweet-Thang zine issue 8, Dreaming. Editorial design by Zoe Pulley Studio. Photograph: Zoe Thompson
“It kind of feels like you’re experimenting with a tool, but there’s no artistry there, which is kind of sad. I think the beauty of art and creation comes from that slowness,” she said.
Can AI and zine making coexist? “Well, it has to, because AI exists. But I’m not sure it will be a smooth relationship,” says Gamble. “Zine making, in particular, is such a grassroots process. All you need is a piece of paper, a pen, and some things to collage with. The barrier to entry is really low.”
It’s been three years since Simkins made his photo zine, and his view on AI has changed since then. “In the world of zines, I think AI can be used as a tool to create,” but at its core, he believes art is “made by people and for people.”
He said there need to be more conversations about using AI in art. “I can see both sides. Most importantly, I think you can get really tired trying to police what everyone else does when it comes to art,” he said.
If a day comes when AI-made zines are pitched to distributors, MagCulture’s Leslie is fine with including them.
“We don’t care whether a zine was made with AI or not,” he says. “We want to see interesting, innovative, and engaging zines. If one was created using AI and is intriguing in its own way, then great—we’ll support it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the Theyre supposed to be handmade zine movement pushing back against AI
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What is a zine
A A zine is a small selfpublished booklet They are often made by one person or a small group and cover niche topics art or personal stories
Q What is the Theyre supposed to be handmade movement
A Its a growing pushback from zine creators against using AI tools to make zines The core idea is that zines are special because they are made by handdrawn written collaged and photocopiednot generated by a computer
Q Why are zine creators against AI
A They believe the heart of a zine is human effort imperfection and personal touch AIgenerated art or text feels impersonal and goes against the DIY and punk spirit of zine culture
Q Are people actually using AI to make zines
A Yes some people are using AI image generators or text generators to create content for zines which has upset many in the traditional zine community
Q Cant AI just be another tool like a photocopier
A Many creators disagree A photocopier copies your handmade work AI generates originallooking content from a database of other peoples work without the human creators personal input or skill
Advanced Practical Questions
Q How can I tell if a zine was made with AI
A Look for a few telltale signs overly perfect or glossy art with weird hands or eyes text that feels generic or repeats itself and a lack of personal handwriting doodles or minor imperfections
Q Whats the difference between using AI for inspiration and using it to make the whole zine
A Using AI for inspiration is seen as less problematic by some but using AI to generate the actual pages images or text is widely considered cheating The core is whether a human made the final creative decisions
