CG Trader needs to do something about AI slop NOW
Discussion started by johnrobmiller
CG Trader is getting bombarded with AI slop. I've seen some accounts that have published 10,000+ models within a two year period. All of them are AI. The ratio of ai to non-ai models is getting small. When you search for something in the search results, those 10,000+ models pollute the search results. The accounts with 100+ non-ai models are getting burried. What's worse is that the people who publish ai slop are being deceptive, hiding that it is AI or just flat out lying about it.
This is a HUGE problem. The entire platform is falling apart. There needs to be a way to filter out all AI models, or the site needs to do a large sweeping ban on all the ai slop on the platform. If this problem is not addressed, I think this will be the end of CG Trader as the years pass and the problem grows and grows and eats them alive.
Answers
9
Yep, like this guy uses as a thumbnails AI generated reference images which are being sold on Artstation (stolen), he uses them to generate sh** models, and then sells them. He probably didn't sold much, but still spamming the catalogue.
7
I don't see the point why AI models are even being offered. Any average game developer can generate AI models these days - why would they want to buy AI generated content?
What's worse: What's shown on the product page screenshots is sometimes far, far away from the actual model bought. Recently bought a model that was obviously advertised with Nano Banana screenshots but the actual model was a nasty Meshy AI conversion of the same screenshots. There's absolutely no point in purchasing something like this.
When contacted the author agreed to a refund but CGTrader support is not responding for a week now.
Always loved CGTrader and dealing with the impact of AI certainly poses some challenges - but with the current approach it seems like CGTrader is sawing off the branch it's sitting on?
In fairness an update on this one: CGTrader refunded this particular model after a while - their emails about that were just in my spam folder. Of course it would be better to avoid having to deal with this in the first place.
7
Looks like this way of making money does not work for us any more. So thank you for the several years, it was a fun. Now I have much less motivation to upload new models.
CGtrader may gain more money at first, but they will gain more frustrated impulsive buyers who will never return, because they bought something with nice preview and found out files that are of much worse quality.
Not all of those buyers will care to ask for refund, they may just live the platform ad spread some nasty words about it.
4
CGTrader has been going downhill for me since 2025. After working hard for 7 years to maximize my royalty points, now both my sales rate and sales volume have dropped. I can't believe my sales have returned to where they were when I started in 7 years. Furthermore, some of my models were removed due to adult content. Some of my car and motorcycle brand logos were also removed. When I contacted them, they said competition had increased and sales were good. That's not the case for us. If CGTrader continues like this, I will withdraw completely.
1
This is probably going to increase the value of heavily curated websites in the end?
The thing is, AI has “some” use cases, it can compliment the toolbox of a 3D artist, however, the downright misuses of the tools is eroding buyer trust and converting the AI filter into a “delete deceptive content from view button”.
The problem is, almost every 3D artist is now using some small % of AI tools in the production stages, but telling this would be unwise, right?
There are basically no guidelines on when to hit that AI generated content checkbox.
I can remember a while ago (tell me if I’m wrong) CGTrader promoted the use of AI for generating presentation images, this is clearly not best practice?
For example, how does someone asses the quality of PBR materials looking at AI generated images no 3D app can reproduce?
So this could be a clear “when to” checkbox scenario, but when does someone need to reveal the use of AI in other parts and get subjected to the deception filter?
For example, someone used AI to help generate some texture opacity masks of a small part (a leaf texture), it constitutes about 0,0004% of the work in the 3D scene, all the presentation images are images a user gets when hitting render on the included project files, now, should this person check the AI box?
When does someone actually need to check that AI box?
Is it when they have AI generated presentation images, or when some AI was used somewhere in the pipeline, or when just everything is AI generated?
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