A Statement Regarding the Future of
AI Art Use by the Onyx Lives! Team

Hello, all.

It has always been our intention to phase AI art out of this project when it became apparent that people were actually interested in it. Originally this was intended to start with Three Dynasties, our next full base set, which would launch after the conclusion of the Shattered Empire arc. That is no longer the case.

As of today, May 23rd, 2024, we will no longer be using generative AI in our projects. Our website has been updated to remove all instances of AI art in favor of either public domain or previously used and publicly available L5R CCG art. Likewise, as of today, the only PDF and image files available in our files are our previously labeled "Non Art" versions of sets. 

There are several reasons for moving this timeline forward.

• Firstly, the L5R community has always been intrinsically linked to the artistic community, and if we desire to continue to act as caretakers of this community and its legacy, this is the only ethical way to do so.

• Secondly, we cannot in good conscience cast a shadow over the good people at Pine Box Entertainment, who are providing us space at GenCon to conduct our event there, or detrimentally associate charity events or jeopardize potential charitable causes by having an association with AI art. Originally this was by declaring "No Art" for that event only, but that was frankly a half measure, and we want to demonstrate our commitment to having the best event for our community that we can.

• Thirdly, the next set in development, Gates of Tengoku, is a set a year in planning that specifically sets out to address the various unresolved story prizes of the old L5R CCG. We do not want people who have waited over a decade in some cases to see their prize have a shadow cast over it. That is not fair to them.

If you are interested in submitting your own art for use by this project, feel free to reach out to us. Please remember we are, and are committed to remain, a 100% not-for-profit enterprise, and as such, do not have something like a Patreon, nor do we solicit or accept financial donations of any kind, and cannot compensate you with anything more than exposure and credit. We fully support members of the community commissioning art from their favorite artists or artists friends and then allowing us to use the art, as this does not involve us directly raising money to pay for artwork.

We hope that those of you who have avoided the project because of this issue will come take another look and support us. We also hope those who have participated and supported us until now continue to do so. You are the only reason we still do what we do.

We want to continue this project for the foreseeable future, and in a way that respects both the art and fan communities that were, and remain, bedrocks of the L5R CCG and its legacy.

Thank you.
The Onyx Lives! Team