Residents of a small Penobscot County community are pushing back against a proposed AI-generated town logo.
Newburgh, a town of roughly 1,500 people, shared a new town logo on social media on April 30 asking for feedback, admitting that it was made using artificial intelligence.
“It’s time to update our town logo that we use on our letterhead. This is what AI and I came up with as I am no artist. Also, attached is what our old logo looked like. We wanted to know thoughts on the new design and if it represents Newburgh,” the post reads.
The post swiftly drew backlash from residents. Many commented that they didn’t want an AI-generated design used to represent their town, and instead asked the town to accept options designed by local artists for possible rebranding.
It’s unclear who posted the logo on the town’s Facebook page or why it was suggested now. Newburgh officials declined to comment about the post and proposed logo.
Residents said they didn’t want an AI-generated logo in the post’s comments, and even offered to design one free of charge for the town.
David Aston, a Newburgh resident and graphic designer who has made logos, was “disheartened” when he saw the post because it could take opportunities away from artists in the area. He offered to create a new design for the town because he wants the town to use human-made art, he said.
“I think it’s important that we now, more than ever, really lean into the fact that we are human beings making handmade things in a world of AI slop,” Aston said.
Maine communities are attempting to implement AI to supplement limited staffing caused by fewer people running for local elected positions or working in town offices. Without formal policies governing the use of AI in the majority of Maine towns, resident input has become the main source of guiding principals.
The proposed Newburgh logo shows a pine tree, barn, cropfield and the date the town was incorporated. The AI-generated logo seems to be based on the town’s current logo, which also has a field, barn and Newburgh’s incorporation date.
But the proposed branding has mistakes in it. The “I” in incorporated is written with the number 1, while the 1s in 1819 are upside down.
More than one resident pointed out the mistakes and asked for a human-made logo in the post’s comments.
Aston, who owns Timber Hearth Tattoo Company in Bangor, said he would use the same symbols in his design. By working with town officials, he said he could also create other branding, like a wordmark logo (one that uses only text) of the town name that could be used for different purposes.
Although he’s willing to help Newburgh with its current issue, Aston said he hopes a conversation between residents and town officials can help push for possible AI policies that would support local artists.
“I think it’s an important discourse to have. It was cool to see a lot of people coming out in force and be like, ‘Yes, we want human-made art from somebody that lives in our town,’” he said.
