ooooIYKYK, ISSUE #oo44, SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER ON SUBSTACK.
Everywhere you look, it’s hard to miss the presence of AI as it encroaches on more elements of daily life. That’s been especially apparent in the time since my last newsletter.
Shortly after posting it, a commenter showed up on Instagram under the F1 artwork used in the social push. Her comment read:
“aaaww i’ll happily read your newsletter, but don’t use AI. There are tons of artists, fans of F1 and of Audi F1, who will happily draw something up for you at a reasonable price.”
It’s a reasonable request. The artwork style I’ve been using in recent weeks is AI-generated, and there’s a lot of negative sentiment around AI right now—not without reason.
Fast forward a few weeks, and in an email exchange with Michèle Mouton, she mentioned seeing a biography about herself on Amazon. I searched and found not one—but FIVE!
Five biographies of Michèle Mouton. All seemingly AI-generated. All featuring covers that don’t even really look like her nor even convincingly depict the cars she drove.
Not surprisingly, Mouton has nothing to do with any of them. If I were her I’d be a bit annoyed and maybe even alarmed. And despite decades in this business, I’ve never heard of any of the listed authors.
What we have here is a clear example of “AI slop”—content that is fast, cheap, and frictionless to produce, flooding platforms like Amazon and crowding out legitimate work. Somewhere in those same search results is the actual biography Mouton was involved with—written in French, long out of print, and far down the list of search results.
And that’s really the issue. Not AI itself—but what happens when you combine it with historic ease to publish and no real accountability for what gets pushed into the world.
It’s unsettling. People don’t always know how to react when they suspect a human wasn’t involved—even when one was. That uncertainty turns into distrust, and eventually, bias against anything AI-adjacent.
For context, I’m a human who uses AI. I’ve likely had my own work displaced by it at times. I’ve had my work pop up in social media posts and even Ebay listings that I have nothing to do with. That’s part of the landscape now.
I use AI for those column images.
I’ve also been using AI image tools for several years on my @4Rings.AI Instagram account, where I post Audi-themed designs. The response has been strong growth and engagement—but also pushback from those who don’t consider it art or design.
I don’t pretend to have a definitive answer. AI isn’t going away, so I’ve chosen to learn it rather than ignore it. And not all AI output is the same. In the automotive design space, there are genuinely talented creators using these tools thoughtfully… and there’s also plenty of slop.
Maybe the key is to recognize that distinction—celebrating considered, creative use while calling out the junk. In that sense, it’s not all that different from anything else. There’s always been great work, and there’s always been noise. AI just seems to turn up the volume on both.
I haven’t read those Mouton-ish biographies and don’t plan to. The covers alone tell me what I need to know. Instead, I’ll stick with my copy of the out-of-print version she helped create—including running it through the Google Translate tool in order to consume it.
In the meantime, I want to be transparent. I do use AI tools in producing this site. Images are labeled as renderings. I run a recurring AI Imagined feature. I also use AI writing tools to help turn around press release news quickly—so I can maintain a broader mix of Audi content while focusing my time on original reporting and analysis.
My response then to that Instagram comment was this:
“Thanks for the comment. I’m an artist myself—long before AI. My product here isn’t art, though art is sometimes part of it and was used in creating that image. What I produce is content about the Audi brand, something I’ve been doing for decades. When this project earns enough to support contributors, I’ll gladly pay for them—as I have in previous roles.
“AI is a challenging conversation, much like EVs. People have strong feelings, and that’s expected. I try to be clear about where I use it. If that works for you, great. If not, I understand—and I hope you find creators who better match what you’re looking for.”
And what of Mouton? She has several projects in the works. I’ve encouraged her to tell her story and offered to help. Hopefully she takes me up on it.
Because the real story of Michèle Mouton deserves to be heard.
And on that, my own independent study reveals six out of six unauthorized AI biographers agree.
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