8Bit/Digi

With the growing use of AI and concerns of bad actors abusing it, GalaxyCon has introduced a new policy across all of its events.

Effective immediately, GalaxyCon has banned AI generated artwork from being sold at any of its events. The ban applies to merchandise, including, but not limited to, prints, posters, and clothing apparel. Vendors who violate this policy will be removed from the event with no refund and will be banned from any future GalaxyCon affliated event.

The announcement was made as follows:

Greetings, GalaxyCon Friends!

We are sending you a mission report amid the current happenings in the convention community space. Recently, there have been heightened concerns regarding the application of AI and its misuse in the vendor world and beyond. We at GalaxyCon support our artists and understand how their creativity is vital in the structure of our events and world. As a result, we want to protect our friends and fans from any potential harm to their work or integrity and have updated the terms and conditions across all our brands to implement parameters on the use of AI art in our vendor spaces.

Effective immediately, AI-generated artwork is prohibited for any booth or table type. This applies to ALL merchandise, including, but not limited to, prints, posters, mugs, t-shirts/apparel, towels, etc. Failure to abide by this rule will result in ejection from the event with no refund given, as well as a ban from any future GalaxyCon, Animate!, SuperStar, or Nightmare Weekend event. While AI is a powerful tool that can assist in many facets of creation, the current training of these programs still presents questionable ethical and moral issues that we cannot ignore.

As a company home to artists and creatives of all types, we monitor these conversations closely and do not take lightly their impact on our community. We thank you all for your support and encourage you to continue creating without the fear that your works will be disrespected or stolen in whole or in part. As the discussion of AI and its impact continues, we will share updates to our terms and conditions, and in the meantime, we hope to see all of you at our events!

GalaxyCon is a series of pop culture conventions primarily held in the Southeast, with one event hosted in the Bay Area. GalaxyCon San Jose 2026 will take place from August 21st to August 23rd. Tickets for the event are on sale now, but no additional information has become available.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.