Top iPad app takes a stand for human creativity, flat refusing to offer generative AI tools
The CEO and co-founder of Procreate made a blunt, powerful statement in a viral video.

The use of generative AI tools in art software is up for debate.
Whether we like it or not,artificial intelligence (AI) has arrived in our lives. Once only the subject of sci-fi films and tech geeks' imaginations, various iterations of AI technology are now in use across nearly every industry.
Depending on your beliefs about and understanding of AI, that's either a good or a bad thing. At this point, most people seem to recognize and acknowledge that there are some profoundly helpful uses for AI, while also feeling trepidation about the reliability of popular language learning models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI tools many of us have begun using regularly.
One realm that has seen significant backlash against AI is art. It's one thing for a machine to do complex equations or write code or or analyze medical images or defuse a bomb. It's another to replace human creativity with AI, which is why Procreate co-founder and CEO James Cuda is saying "no" to incorporating AI tools into the company's art software.
Procreate is a popular iPad app with the slogan "Art is for Everyone," which allows users to sketch, paint, illustrate and animate. In a video shared on X, Cuda was blunt. "I really f__king hate generative AI," he said in a post captioned, "We're never going there. Creativity is made, not generated."
"I don't like what's happening in the industry, and I don't like what it's doing to artists," he said. "We're not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products. Our products are always designed and developed with the idea that a human will be creating something."
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"We believe we're on the right path supporting human creativity," he concluded. Cuda's announcement comes as its biggest competitor, Adobe
A statement on the Procreate website explains further:
"Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.
We're here for the humans. We're not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less travelled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community."
Generative AI has been labeled as theft due to the AI models using real art from real artists to generate images. Many artists celebrated Cuda's announcement, praising Procreate for supporting and empowering artists. Others said the company was being overly sentimental and out of touch with the times.
It's important to note that Cuda specifically refers to "generative AI" which does not mean all AI. Artificial intelligence isn't just one thing—there are various AI models, some of which are used for predictions and analysis and others that are used to "create." It's the generative AI used to create that has artists, musicians, writers and other creative professionals up in arms.
The question of what "counts" as art has been debated for centuries, but we've always agreed that art comes from humans. Some see art as the creative expression of the human spirit, which makes machine-created art feel soulless. Easier and more efficient, perhaps, but lacking the intangible, inspiring, intriguing quality of individual human creativity.
As Cuda said, "We don't exactly know where this story ends or where it's going to go." Perhaps resisting generative AI is a losing battle and humans are doomed to be replaced by machines. Maybe AI-generated art will simply make 100% human-created art more valuable and in-demand. Maybe there's another possibility no one has even conceived of yet. However things turn out, it's the real choices real humans make that will determine what direction we will go.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."