All of which would be unnecessary if we viewed art for what it is, rather than who or what created it.

Hat-tip to Carlo Carrenho 🇪🇺 for spotting this story before me, and covering the base well. Here, a brief summary and then to the all important question: Is this going to help or harm the industry?

South Korea’s “AI Basic Act”, live since 22 Jan, makes the country the first in Asia to impose mandatory disclosure on AI-generated or AI-assisted content.

For webtoon platforms the headline is simple: if a machine helped draw, colour or write, readers must be told – via visible logo, watermark or metadata – before the episode reaches their screen. Firms that skip the label risk fines up to 30 million won (≈ £18 000) once the one-year grace period ends.

Why publishers should care beyond Seoul

The law reaches every service that counts Korea as a market, including global apps such as Webtoon, Tapas and Tappytoon. Compliance teams must now tag each file’s provenance at export, re-engineer CMS pipelines to store watermark hashes, and train editors to decide when “AI-assisted” tips into “AI-generated” – a distinction the statute still defines loosely.

Early mistakes will be broadcast to an English-language readership that generates roughly 40 % of Korean webtoons’ overseas revenue.

The upside of transparency

Proponents argue that clear labelling heads off reader backlash before it trends. BlueLine Studio was forced to re-draw episodes of Knight King after fans spotted AI-polished backgrounds, proving that covert use can corrode brand trust more than disclosure ever could. Labels also give human creators a marketing edge: “100 % hand-drawn” becomes a premium USP in a crowded subscription market.

The hidden commercial risk

Yet emerging consumer-psychology studies show a “reverse-halo” effect: enjoyment scores for music, advertising and comics drop measurably once audiences are told AI was involved – even when the prior blind rating was high.

For platforms, forced disclosure may flatten conversion funnels and depress ad CPMs for anything carrying the scarlet “A”. Mid-tier studios, already racing to cut episode costs with background-gen tools, fear a two-tier marketplace where AI-labelled chapters command lower merchandise royalties.

Practical next steps for publishers

Map every stage of production; mark assets “AI” if any generative model touched them.

Build a dual-track archive: watermarked files for Korea, clean files for less-regulated territories – but assume everywhere will follow Seoul’s lead at some point.

Experiment with “soft” disclosure (end-credit icon, toggle-able footnote) during the grace year to gauge reader reaction without front-loading stigma.

The View From The Beach

All of which would be unnecessary of we viewed art for what it is, rather than who or what created it.

Full disclosure – AI wrote these subtitles and corrected my typos. Does anyone care?

Art for art’s sake. AI? For f***’s sake, get a life. Enjoy it, don’t label it!

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.