--- title: "Furious Protestor Tears AI-Generated Art Off Wall of Exhibit, Chews It Up Into Tiny Shreds Using His Teeth" description: "A University of Alaska Fairbanks student was detained after ripping AI \"artwork off the walls and eating it in a reported protest.\"" date: "2026-01-16" modified: "2026-01-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/protestor-tears-ai-art-chews-teeth" categories: - "Art" - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "Future Society" --- # Furious Protestor Tears AI-Generated Art Off Wall of Exhibit, Chews It Up Into Tiny Shreds Using His Teeth ![A University of Alaska Fairbanks student was detained after ripping AI "artwork off the walls and eating it in a reported protest."]() *Getty / Futurism* The use of generative AI for creative purposes has spawned a major countermovement. From game developers [reeling from a wave of criticism]() for using the tech to artists [staging mass protests against AI](), the backlash against what's being hailed as a technological revolution [grew massively last year](). In a startlingly literal example of this growing fury, a University of Alaska Fairbanks undergraduate student was detained after ripping "artwork off the walls and eating it in a reported protest," according to a university police department statement [quoted by the school's student newspaper, *The Sun Star*](). The student, Graham Granger, was accused of chewing and spitting out small images that were pinned to the wall of a UAF art exhibit, which featured 160 AI-generated images by fine arts student Nick Dwyer. Photos taken by *The Sun Star* show crumpled-up pieces of paper strewn across a polished concrete floor. According to the police department, Granger chewed up at least 57 of the 160 images. As a result, the undergraduate student was arrested for "criminal mischief in the 5th degree and booked at the Fairbanks Correctional Center," according to the student newspaper. It's yet another example of how anti-AI sentiment is gripping the art world, highlighting a heated debate over human authorship and expression in a world filled with text-to-image generators that can conjure up works from a simple prompt in an instant. Dwyer has since defended his work, telling *The Sun Star* that he had been using AI for his art since 2017. He said his exhibit "explores identity, character narrative creation and crafting false memories of relationships in an interactive role digitally crafted before, during and after a state of AI psychosis." The term "AI psychosis" has been used by health professionals to describe a troubling phenomenon in which [users of AI tools]() are experiencing symptoms of psychosis or delusional episodes. Experts have [raised concerns]() over the trend, warning that [more and more people could be caught up]() in these delusions as they become hooked on AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT. In extreme cases, these tools have been [alleged to have led to numerous deaths](), including the [suicide of a 16-year-old](). Dwyer told *The Sun Star* that he had fallen into AI psychosis himself, turning to art to portray the experience. The art world has been reeling from a flood of AI-generated pieces for years now. We've seen instances of artists being [wrongfully accused]() of using the tech, while others, like users on the subreddit [Defending AI Art](), are arguing that it's an [entirely legitimate way of expressing oneself](). A similar situation is playing out in the music industry as well, with music streaming services [hosting cheap AI knockoffs]() of real artists' works. Just this week, music distribution platform Bandcamp announced that it was banning AI-generated songs — a move that was [met with an outpouring of support](). **More on anti-AI sentiment:** [*AI Backlash Grew Massively in 2025*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()