Burbank will no longer use artificial intelligence-generated art in any public-facing city content, after the City Council adopted a ban Tuesday night that includes only a last-resort exception for emergencies.
The move, brought forward by Councilwoman Nikki Perez, directs the city to forgo a second-step review and adopt an outright prohibition on generative AI artwork, a step that goes farther than the professional standards staff had recommended, she said
“I think it speaks much louder to say we are banning this,” Perez told the council.
The ban applies to all content the city produces, while graphics shared from nonprofit partners and outside organizations will carry a tagline identifying the original source.
The decision followed more than an hour of deliberation and public comment in which artists and residents argued that AI-generated imagery is built on stolen creative work. One speaker called AI art theft that is “ugly, lazy and lame” and urged the council to pay local artists instead. Another compared the practice to having a car stolen and noted Burbank is home to Disney Animation and other studios whose artists’ work has been taken.
Public Information Specialist Mariam Movsesian said the city not use AI-generated art in graphics or social media, and that staff had recommended professional standards rather than a complete ban. Staff had cautioned that a broad ban could restrict common AI-assisted editing tools already built into software such as Adobe Photoshop, and complicate the sharing of third-party content.
The council ultimately distinguished between AI-assisted tools, which are embedded in everyday design software, and generative AI art, which Perez described as the “stolen content” of creative people worldwide. The only carve-out allows staff to use generative AI as a very last resort in an emergency, such as when no graphic designer or cartographer is available.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.
