Streamer LEON suspends activities after unauthorized AI use of manga artist's work

Popular Japanese streamer LEON has announced an indefinite hiatus following a controversy involving the unauthorized use of generative AI on artwork provided by manga artist Shiromanta.

During a recent 'Rust' gaming event titled ‘DEATH GAME,’ the event logo was revealed to be an AI-generated image. Shiromanta, who had previously provided an illustration for LEON, questioned the streamer about the artwork. LEON initially denied knowledge of the AI usage and refused to disclose vendor information, citing confidentiality.

However, after being questioned by fellow streamer Kenki, LEON admitted to knowingly using Shiromanta’s original illustration as training data for the AI generation. Shiromanta expressed sadness over the deception, stating that while they do not wish to debate the ethics of AI, the lie told by a friend was unacceptable. LEON has issued a formal apology for the breach of trust and the misleading explanations provided during the investigation.