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The New Yorker's AI-Generated Illustration for Sam Altman Profile Sparks Debate

publication · 2026-04-13

In a recent feature, The New Yorker spotlighted Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, alongside an AI-generated artwork by David Szauder, an educator at Moholy-Nagy University. This illustration, crafted with AI tools and Photoshop, portrays Altman surrounded by disembodied faces to suggest a sense of untrustworthiness. Collaborating with Szauder were digital design director Aviva Michaelov and senior art director Supriya Kalidas, who reviewed 15 of Szauder's sketches. A 2025 article in Whitehot Magazine references Szauder's coding method for generating images. According to the US Copyright Office, images produced by AI are not eligible for copyright protection due to the absence of human authorship. The Verge indicates AI images with a yellow disclosure, and the article examines AI's effects on illustration and job loss, emphasizing Szauder's faith in human creativity.

Key facts

  • The New Yorker published an AI-generated illustration by David Szauder for a profile of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
  • David Szauder is a mixed-media artist who teaches at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest
  • The illustration shows Altman with multiple disembodied faces conveying untrustworthiness
  • Szauder used AI tools combined with traditional editing methods like Photoshop
  • The New Yorker's digital design director Aviva Michaelov and senior art director Supriya Kalidas worked on the piece
  • Szauder developed his own coding system to generate images from prompts or archival materials
  • The US Copyright Office states AI-generated images from text prompts cannot be copyrighted
  • The Verge labels AI-generated images with a yellow disclosure and Vox Media has an agreement with OpenAI

Entities

Artists

  • David Szauder
  • Sam Altman
  • Kadir Nelson
  • Christoph Niemann
  • Victo Ngai
  • Ronan Farrow

Institutions

  • The New Yorker
  • OpenAI
  • Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design
  • Whitehot Magazine
  • The Verge
  • Vox Media
  • US Copyright Office

Locations

  • Budapest
  • Hungary

Sources

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