(CP Illustration: Jeff Schreckengost)

By Gavin Petrone, Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) CEO Jeremy Waldrup said that the design of the nonprofit’s Picklesburgh 10th anniversary T-shirt was created by a “mix of both traditional and AI tools” in a statement to Pittsburgh City Paper.

The shirt first came under scrutiny last week after TikTok user travistokofficial speculated that its illustration was created by generative AI. He pointed out that the image’s art style and inconsistent fine details were key signs of an AI-generated image.

Waldrup said the shirt was a late addition to the Picklesburgh lineup, and was intended to be a “fun tribute.” He added that the shirt was not a replacement for local talent.

“In hindsight, we recognize that a more thoughtful approach would have better reflected our values for this item,” Waldrup said, adding that the nonprofit will continue to use both regular and AI tools, but that it “remain[s] committed to ensuring that our decisions reflect our values, especially when it comes to merchandise.”

The roughly $10,000 profit from the shirt will go toward supporting a future public art downtown installation led by a local artist, according to Waldrup. Many existing installations in Downtown made by local artists were curated and funded in part by the PDP.

(For more of the story, visit Pittsburgh City Paper.)

Gavin Petrone is a student at Point Park University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.