The AI artist who refuses to lose himself

Korea Herald

14-05-2025

AI artist Keepkwan keeps his own voice with ground rules for working with AI -- so he doesn't 'get swallowed by' it
When one introduces oneself as an 'AI artist,' the question almost always follows: Who is the true creator -- the machine or the human behind it?
The recent boom in AI-generated images, particularly those mimicking the look of Studio Ghibli, has made this question become even more widely asked.
Yoon Seok-kwan, an "AI artist" who works under the pseudonym Keepkwan, shares this concern. While he believes originality is still possible when working with AI, he worries that much of what is being produced lacks a personal, authentic voice.
'What I worry about most is the absence of originality in the recent Ghibli image trend,' he said during his interview with The Korea Herald. 'It would be great if, by working with AI, people could create something unique. But instead, many just go for whatever looks good or is easy to replicate.'
To avoid falling into that trap, Keepkwan has established a set of boundaries and creative habits that help ensure his work remains his own.
'That's why I don't use pre-existing styles. No Ghibli-style, no Star Wars-style, nothing borrowed,' he explained. 'I make my own mood and color boards. I try to develop my own visual language and create based on that.'
At the same time, he acknowledges the complexity of the issue.
'It's not so easy to draw a clear line,' he said. 'When AI enters the realm of creation, we have to ask, 'What exactly is the role of the human artist?''
For Keepkwan, the key lies in transparency, being clear about how much of the work is truly his.
'What matters is how much the creator contributes, and in what ways,' he said. 'That contribution needs to be documented and proven.'
To ensure that, he records his entire creative process, from the first spark of an idea in the shower to the sketches and refinements that shape the final image.
'I keep track of everything,' he said.
Playing catch with AI
Keepkwan describes creating art with artificial intelligence as a bit like playing catch.
But he has a set of rules he never breaks. He always throws the first ball, and he decides when the game ends.
'It always starts with me making the ball,' he said. 'Meaning, it starts with my idea. If I just ask the AI tool to make something from the beginning, then to me, that's not really mine. It's the AI's.'
Keepkwan says he uses multiple AI tools for his work, some of which he shares on his Instagram account and notes were "created in collaboration with AI."
Also, before typing a single prompt, he spends days, or sometimes longer, researching, outlining and clarifying the purpose of the work. To him, AI is a tool best used after his creative vision is fully formed.
'To get the right answers, I need to know enough myself,' he said.
To prove his point, he shared a recent project involving AI-generated images of hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.
'If I didn't know anything about hanbok, I wouldn't have been able to tell when something was off,' he said. 'The AI showed me a design that was a mix of Chinese and Japanese. But because I knew the difference, I could correct it.'
That same philosophy guides how he finishes each piece. Regardless of how many rounds he goes with AI, the final touch is always his.
Even his artist name reflects this philosophy. Keepkwan combines 'keep,' symbolizing his commitment to staying true to himself, and 'kwan,' drawn from his given name.
'I want to make sure I don't lose myself,' he said. 'That I don't get swallowed up by AI.'
This clearly defined collaboration has taken him far. His work has been featured at Art Basel Miami Beach and New York's Superchief Gallery.
Keepkwan's journey began with a story he wrote in high school.
He was working in strategic planning at SM C&C, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, when he first began exploring AI in 2021.
'The job was about finding new business ideas that could support the company five or ten years down the line,' he said.
As part of his research, he started looking into artificial intelligence.
'I had a feeling AI could become a big deal. But in a company, you need hard proof. You have to show how it makes money and how fast it can grow,' he said. 'At the time, there wasn't much data in Korea, so I thought, 'I'll just try it myself.''
In his spare time, he began experimenting with AI and sharing the results online, starting with visual interpretations of the story he had written years earlier.
The fictional story envisioned a museum where artifacts from different timelines coexist, some from the past, others from imagined futures, each carrying its own unique backstory.
'I always dreamed of turning that story into a film,' he said. 'With AI, that dream started to feel real.'
Today, in addition to his creative work, Keepkwan lectures on AI at companies like Cheil Worldwide and SM C&C. His message varies by audience, but the core remains the same:
AI is a tool that can amplify creativity.
'Anyone can create something meaningful using AI,' he said. 'Just like how I brought an old story back to life.'
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