The Herald Sun published this AI-generated image of Victorian Premier Ben Carroll in the newspaper. (Herald Sun)
Cartoonists have raised concerns about the future of their industry amid the rise of AI-generated imagery.
It comes after an AI-generated illustration was published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Wednesday.
Experts say the technology itself is not a problem, but have called for transparency from organisations on their policies.
Cartoonists say they are worried about the future of their craft, as media companies continue to grapple with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their industry.
On Wednesday, the Herald Sun newspaper published an AI-generated illustration alongside an article about Victorian Premier Ben Carroll.
The illustration, which was clearly marked by the publisher as being AI generated, depicted Mr Carroll with a pirate's leg scraping barnacles off a ship decorated with former Labor premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews.
The ABC understands News Corp has been using AI-generated illustrations for about two years.
The move has left some cartoonists concerned for what they say is a shrinking industry.
Cartoonist Fiona Katauskas said seeing the spread of AI illustrations on social media and in newspapers felt like a "punch in the gut".
"There's sadness because just as a cartoonist and an illustrator, it is AI taking someone's job," she said.
"But also, they're just ugly … it's very easy to spot an AI illustrational cartoon because they've all got the same style."
Fiona Katauskas has used her art to make statements about AI. (Supplied: Fiona Katauskas)
The Herald Sun and News Corp have been contacted for comment.
The company's code of conduct requires any image altered by digital tools, including AI, to be labelled as being digitally altered or similar.
