‘Like doing sports on steroids’

Let this sink in.

Artificial intelligence has been deemed a threat to multiple industries, and now, tattoo experts are saying it’s already left a scar on their industry.

Several designers have copped to using AI software to create elaborate mock-up designs to be etched on humans — a task that used to be part of the artist’s creative job.

“It just outperforms people,” tattooer Ziggy Tramdaks told the Wall Street Journal. “AI will take over this industry whether we want it to or not.”

“You’re essentially cheating,” Matt Doherty, a 41-year-old ink artist in Sicklerville, New Jersey told the Journal.

“It’s like doing sports on steroids,” he added.

The meteoric rise in popularity of AI language learning models like ChatGPT has made graphic design work feasible for anyone, even those who aren’t considered tech-savvy.

On many programs, users can simply type descriptive words and watch as AI renders stunningly real images in a matter of minutes — if not quicker.

There is even a ChatGPT variation oriented specifically for tattoo design along with several similarly pointed programs.

But some tattoo hopefuls believe something so permanent requires a human touch.

Kaarina Vuorinen, a 30-year-old dental nurse from Helsinki, Finland, recalled that five hours into getting her lower leg tattoo, her artist confessed the design was AI-driven.

“He was kind of proud,” she told WSJ. “I was like, in shock. I was so disappointed.”

In other cases where customers embrace AI designs, it’s also setting unrealistic expectations. Tattoo artist Matthew Hatch recalled one patron asking for an AI galaxy design that likely would come out looking like a gigantic bruise.

“There are limitations on what is possible,” he said.