Technology

Graphic artists in China push back on AI and its averaging effect

Published

9 months ago

June 27, 2025

Graphic artists in China push back on AI and its averaging effect

Sendi Jia, a designer running her own studio between Beijing, China, and London, England, says she mainly uses AI generators like DALL-E to make fake photos for background panels or websites when her clients don’t have access to real ones. That’s helped clients with limited budgets, but it’s also exposed just how much of the creative process AI can replace. Recently, a potential client working in a university contacted Jia about creating the logo for a new project. Then, they changed their mind. They had used AI to make it, they said.

Chinese graphic artists are rapidly experiencing the impact of image generators on their day-to-day work: the technology enables copycats and profoundly shifts clients’ perception of their work, specifically in terms of how much that work costs and how much time it takes to produce. Freelance artists or designers working in industries with clients that invest in stylized, eye-catching graphics, like advertising, are particularly at risk.

Long before AI image generators became popular, graphic designers at major tech companies and in-house designers for large corporate clients were often instructed by managers to crib aesthetics from competitors or from social media, according to one employee at a major online shopping platform in China, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from their employer.

Where a human would need to understand and reverse engineer a distinctive style to recreate it, AI image generators simply create randomized mutations of it. Often, the results will look like obvious copies and include errors, but other graphic designers can then edit them into a final product.

“I think it’d be easier to replace me if I didn’t embrace [AI],” the shopping platform employee says. Early on, as tools like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney became more popular, their colleagues who spoke English well were selected to study AI image generators to increase in-house expertise on how to write successful prompts and identify what types of tasks AI was useful for. Ultimately, it was useful for copying styles from popular artists that, in the past, would take more time to study.

“I think it forces both designers and clients to rethink the value of designers,” Jia says. “Is it just about producing a design? Or is it about consultation, creativity, strategy, direction, and aesthetic?”

“You might get a good result, but there will inevitably be dozens or even hundreds of poor ones … Personally, I see [AI image generators] as more of a toy than a tool.”

At ad agencies, for example, graphic designers work on comprehensive strategies for campaigns, aiming to create iconic, recognizable visual identities across a variety of formats. As such, AI image generators are less useful because they don’t produce anything particularly unique, according to Erbing, a graphic designer in Beijing who has worked with several ad agencies and asked to be called by his nickname.

“Each project faces different problems, and designers are there to solve specific problems, not to create identical visuals,” he says. “Sometimes, the process of thinking through a project takes longer than actually creating the visuals.”

When faced with more complex tasks, AI’s utility dwindles. Image generators are capable of creating many images, but that does not replace the work of understanding what an ad campaign needs to establish a visual identity and communicate what it is the client is selling and why people should buy it. Then, translating those concepts to the AI productively is its own challenge. Among graphic designers in China, there’s a joke that using an AI image generator is like gacha, referring to addictive games where users spend money to receive randomized items and find out what they won.

“You might get a good result, but there will inevitably be dozens or even hundreds of poor ones,” Erbing says. “Personally, I see [AI image generators] as more of a toy than a tool.”

Across the board, though, artists and designers say that AI hype has negatively impacted clients’ view of their work’s value. Now, clients expect a graphic designer to produce work on a shorter timeframe and for less money, which also has its own averaging impact, lowering the ceiling for what designers can deliver. As clients lower budgets and squish timelines, the quality of the designers’ output decreases.

“There is now a significant misperception about the workload of designers,” Erbing says. “Some clients think that since AI must have improved efficiency, they can halve their budget.”

But this perception runs contrary to what designers spend the majority of their time doing, which is not necessarily just making any image, Erbing says.

Erbing, like other designers, hopes AI image generators can become more useful to graphic designers in the future, and notes that people’s perception of their usefulness outpaces their actual application. In the meanwhile, it is twisting the clients’ view of the usefulness of the artists themselves.

Technology

Apple launches iOS 26.4 with AI playlists, purchase sharing, and more

Published

10 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Apple launches iOS 26.4 with AI playlists, purchase sharing, and more

iOS 26.4 is here, and it comes with a bunch of small but notable updates. That includes a new Playlist Playground launching in beta in Apple Music, which uses AI to generate a song playlist — complete with a title, description, and tracklist — based on a text prompt.

Apple Music is also adding a new concert discovery feature, allowing you to find nearby shows featuring artists from your library, as well as new ones recommended by the app. Other updates include full-screen backgrounds for album and playlist pages, along with a new Offline Music Recognition tool that “identifies songs without an internet connection and delivers results automatically when you’re back online.”

Apple’s Family Sharing feature, which allows you to share Apple subscriptions with up to six other people, will now let each adult member add their own payment methods to make purchases (instead of just using the method belonging to the group organizer). Additionally, iOS 26.4 adds eight new emoji, including an orca, trombone, landslide, ballet dancer, and distorted face. It also improves the accuracy of its keyboard when typing quickly, according to Apple.

There are a few new accessibility features, too, including an update to Apple’s “reduce bright effects” setting that now minimizes flashes that occur when tapping on certain elements like buttons. Apple is making subtitle and caption settings easier to find as well, and says its “reduce motion” setting now “more reliably reduces the animations of Liquid Glass.”

Apple released its macOS 26.4 update as well, which introduces a new compact tab bar option in Safari and the ability to set charging limits from 80 to 100 percent to help preserve the lifespan of your device’s battery.

Technology

DocuSign email scam targets healthcare workers

Published

11 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

DocuSign email scam targets healthcare workers

Cyber expert shares tips to avoid AI phishing scams

Kurt ‘The CyberGuy’ Knutsson shares practical ways to avoid falling victim to AI-generated phishing scams and discusses a report that North Korean agents are posing as I.T. workers to funnel money into the country’s nuclear program.

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Most of us sign documents online without thinking twice. A quick DocuSign request appears in your inbox. You click the link, review the document and move on with your day. That convenience is exactly what scammers rely on. Recently, we received a message from a CyberGuy reader that shows how convincing these scams can look. In this case, the email appeared to come from a health licensing authority and asked the recipient to review a document tied to a professional license renewal.

Here is the email we received from Susie, a registered nurse in Florida who nearly fell for the scam.

“I am a Registered Nurse, and my bi-annual renewal is approaching. Last month, I received a surprising (at least to me) email with a document to DocuSign from the state Board of Health. It didn’t feel right, even though I have used DocuSign multiple times in the past. Those experiences were known transactions. I contacted the state board, and they confirmed that it IS a SCAM. I sent them screenshots, etc. and reported the message for phishing. I want to thank you, Kurt, because it was thanks to you that I questioned the veracity of this outreach. Reading the articles and tips you provide saved me a great deal of trouble. Thanks again, and all you nurses out there renewing your license, be wary.” – Susie C, Orlando, FL

Susie did exactly what security experts recommend. She paused and verified the message before clicking anything. That one step likely prevented a phishing attack.

SCAMMERS ARE USING DOCUSIGN EMAILS TO PUSH APPLE PAY FRAUD

Security experts warn that DocuSign scams exploit routine online habits to steal passwords and access personal or professional accounts. (ilkercelik/Getty Images)

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What the suspicious DocuSign email looked like

Susie also shared a screenshot of the message she received. At first glance, the email looks familiar. The blue layout resembles real DocuSign notifications. There is even a large yellow Review Document button. But one detail stood out immediately.

The email address sending the message was:
info.florida-department-of-health-email-notification@cc.ncu.edu.tw

That address has nothing to do with a U.S. state health department.

Why DocuSign scams work so well

DocuSign is used by millions of businesses and government agencies. Because people expect these requests, they often click without hesitation. Scammers exploit that habit. A typical DocuSign phishing email tries to create urgency. It may claim a license renewal, a contract update, or a payroll form requires immediate action. Once you click the button, several things may happen:

You may land on a fake login page designed to steal your email password.
The site may prompt you to download a malicious file.
The link may redirect you to several phishing pages.

In many cases, the goal is simple. Attackers want your email credentials so they can take over your account or launch more scams.

10 WAYS TO PROTECT SENIORS FROM EMAIL SCAMS

A Florida nurse avoided a DocuSign phishing scam after spotting a suspicious email tied to a fake health license renewal request. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Red flags in the DocuSign scam email

A few warning signs can help you spot a fake request quickly.

Suspicious sender address

Always look closely at the sender’s domain. Government agencies rarely send messages from foreign academic domains like .edu.tw. That alone signals something is wrong.

Unexpected documents

Legitimate DocuSign requests usually follow a known interaction. For example, a contract you discussed or paperwork you expect. An unexpected document should always raise questions.

Pressure to act quickly

Many phishing emails include language that urges immediate action. The goal is to stop you from thinking. Take a moment before clicking any button.

Generic document descriptions

The message shown in the screenshot simply states that a document is ready to review. It provides no real context or explanation. Legitimate documents often include details about the transaction.

How clicking the link could compromise you

Many people assume they will recognize a fake page. In reality, phishing sites look very convincing. Some scams even use cloned DocuSign pages. Once victims enter their credentials, attackers gain access to their email accounts.

From there, criminals can:

Reset passwords for financial services
Send phishing emails to contacts
Search inboxes for sensitive documents

In healthcare professions, that risk can also expose licensing information or patient-related communications.

APPLE APP PASSWORD SCAM EMAIL WARNING

Cybercriminals are using fake DocuSign emails to trick users into clicking malicious links and handing over sensitive login credentials. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ways to stay safe from DocuSign phishing scams

Fortunately, a few habits can dramatically lower your risk.

1) Verify the request separately

If a document claims to come from a government agency or employer, contact them directly using a known phone number or website. Never use the contact information inside the suspicious email.

2) Hover over links before clicking

Move your cursor over the button and check the destination link. If the URL looks unfamiliar or unrelated to DocuSign, do not click it.

3) Don’t click links and use strong antivirus software

If an email seems suspicious, do not click the link or open any attachment. Strong antivirus software can help block malicious downloads, warn you about dangerous websites and catch threats before they spread across your device. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

4) Use a data removal service

Scammers often gather personal details from data broker sites and public records to make phishing emails seem more believable. A data removal service can help reduce your exposed information online, which may make it harder for criminals to target you with convincing messages. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

5) Access documents through official accounts

If you regularly use DocuSign, sign in directly at the official website and check your pending documents there. That approach avoids email traps entirely.

6) Report phishing attempts

Forward suspicious messages to your organization’s security team or the Federal Trade Commission phishing reporting system at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC also advises forwarding phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. Reporting scams helps protect others from the same attack.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Scams succeed because they blend into everyday routines. Signing documents online has become normal for work, healthcare licensing and financial paperwork. That convenience also gives criminals a perfect disguise. Susie’s story shows how a small moment of doubt can stop a phishing attack before it begins. A quick call to the licensing board revealed the truth. The message was never legitimate.

Now the question is one every reader should consider. If a DocuSign email arrived in your inbox right now, would you notice the warning signs before clicking the button? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

The US government just banned consumer routers made outside the US

Published

22 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

The US government just banned consumer routers made outside the US

In December, the Federal Communications Commission banned all future drones made in foreign countries from being imported into the United States, unless or until their maker gets an exemption. Now, the FCC has done the exact same for consumer networking gear, citing “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.”

If you already have a Wi-Fi or wired router, you can keep on using it — and companies that have already gotten FCC radio authorization for a specific foreign-made product can continue to import that product.

But since the vast majority — if not all — consumer routers are manufactured outside the United States, the vast majority of future consumer routers are now banned. By adding all foreign-made consumer routers to its Covered List, the FCC is saying it will no longer authorize their radios, which de facto bans new devices from import into the country.

Now, router makers need to A) secure a “conditional approval” that lets them keep getting new products cleared for US entry while they work to convince the government that they’ll open up manufacturing in the US, or B) make the decision to skip selling future products in the US, like dronemaker DJI already did.

Like with the foreign drone ban, the FCC has a National Security Determination that it says justifies these actions, one which claims that “Allowing routers produced abroad to dominate the U.S. market creates unacceptable economic, national security, and cybersecurity risks,” and that “routers produced abroad were directly implicated in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks which targeted critical American communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure.”

“Given the criticality of routers to the successful functioning of our nation’s economy and defense, the United States can no longer depend on foreign nations for router manufacturing,” reads another passage.

It is true that a great many router vulnerabilities have surfaced over the years, which make them a popular target for hackers and botnets. It is also true that one China-founded company, TP-Link, is dominant in the US consumer market; US authorities had previously considered a specific TP-Link ban due to that dominance and national security concerns. (TP-Link has been attempting to distance itself from China, splitting off from the Chinese entity in 2022, establishing a global headquarters in California in 2024, and suing Netgear in 2025 for suggesting that TP-Link had been infiltrated by the Chinese government.)

It is not clear how simply moving production of routers domestically would make them safer. In the Volt Typhoon hack, Chinese state-sponsored hackers primarily targeted Cisco and Netgear routers, routers designed by US companies, according to the Department of Justice. They were vulnerable because those US companies had stopped providing security updates to the specific targeted routers, which had been discontinued by those companies.

While the FCC’s Covered List makes it sound like the US is banning all “routers produced in a foreign country,” it’s defined a bit more narrowly than that. It’s specifically banning “consumer-grade routers” as defined in NIST Internal Report 8425A, which refers to ones “intended for residential use and can be installed by the customer.”

“Virtually all routers are made outside the United States, including those produced by U.S.-based companies like TP-Link, which manufactures its products in Vietnam,” reads part of a statement from TP-Link via third-party spokesperson Ricca Silverio. “It appears that the entire router industry will be impacted by the FCC’s announcement concerning new devices not previously authorized by the FCC.”

Update, March 23rd: Clarified how TP-Link has distanced itself from China, and added company statement.

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