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Alaska Student Charged After Chewing AI Artwork Calls It Protest Performance

He portrays the gallery outburst as a response to university rules on artificial intelligence.

Overview

  • Police charged Graham Granger with class B misdemeanor criminal mischief for causing less than $250 in damage at a University of Alaska Fairbanks exhibit.
  • According to the police report, he tore up roughly 57 of 160 images displayed by MFA student Nick Dwyer.
  • Granger told The Nation the action was unpremeditated protest and performance art, and he expects to pay a fine after his release from the Fairbanks Correctional Facility.
  • Dwyer, whose series explored “AI psychosis” and depicted his interactions with an AI chatbot, opted not to pursue charges and says he is trying to use generative AI less.
  • The incident drew international attention and has intensified broader disputes over authorship and ongoing legal battles involving popular generative-image platforms.