At this year’s New York Comic Con, DC Comics president and publisher Jim Lee delivered a decisive message about the future of the company’s creative direction: artificial intelligence will not be shaping DC’s stories or artwork. Addressing a packed panel, Lee stated unequivocally that generative AI has no place in DC’s publishing pipeline and will not be incorporated “now, or ever” under his leadership and that of Anne DePies, DC’s senior vice president and general manager.
Lee compared current anxieties around AI to past waves of technological panic, referencing the Y2K fears of the early 2000s and the recent boom-and-bust frenzy over NFTs. In his view, these moments share a common thread: speculation and hype overshadowing the fundamental truth that audiences instinctively gravitate toward authentic human expression. “People know when something is real,” Lee emphasized. “They respond to passion, to emotion, to intention. Those things come from artists and writers—not algorithms.”
The publisher acknowledged that while AI can mimic styles or mash together existing work, it cannot replicate the imagination, lived experience, or emotional resonance that define true artistry. “AI doesn’t dream,” he said. “It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t create meaning. It pieces together what already exists.”
His comments follow months of industry-wide debate and controversy over the use of generative AI in comics. Although DC has long required artwork to be fully original and produced by human creators, the company recently faced scrutiny when several comic variant covers were suspected of containing AI-generated elements. Fan backlash was swift, with many calling for greater transparency and stronger safeguards to protect the livelihoods of artists and writers. DC ultimately replaced the questioned covers, and this renewed public stance from Lee appears to be the company’s clearest policy line yet.
Still, Lee stressed that fans experimenting with AI tools on their own or creating unofficial stories is not the issue—comic culture has always welcomed amateur creativity, he noted. “Anyone can draw a cape or imagine a hero,” Lee said. “That spirit has fueled fanfiction and fan art for generations. But what makes Superman feel like Superman is the lineage and mythology built by the creators who’ve shaped him for more than 85 years. That universe—our universe—is what we protect.”
With this bold reaffirmation, DC positions itself firmly on the side of human-made storytelling at a time when the entertainment industry continues to grapple with AI’s expanding capabilities. For Lee, the path forward is clear: the heart of DC Comics will always be the people who bring its characters to life.
