Gruffalo Illustrator Says He Is “Seriously Considering” Legal Action Against AI Companies

Axel Scheffler, the illustrator of The Gruffalo, says he is “seriously considering” legal action against AI companies over their use of his illustrations. He has seen AI-generated depictions of the children’s character in settings including Silicon Valley and Oktoberfest, according to TechRadar.

TechRadar tested whether ChatGPT and Gemini could recreate the character. ChatGPT refused a direct request, and a follow-up prompt describing an original woodland monster produced an image the article said was not quite the Gruffalo, though it was not entirely unfamiliar.

Gemini 3.8 produced a near-indistinguishable image of the Gruffalo and the Mouse after receiving the same starting prompt, the article reports. A prompt asking for the cover of the first Gruffalo book, published on 23 March 1999, led Gemini to generate the book cover on a wooden table. In another test, it produced a poster for a Gruffalo-themed Oktoberfest event in London, showing the character in lederhosen with a pretzel and beer stein.

The article says it is unclear whether such AI-generated images amount to copyright infringement; that question is for the courts. It contrasts ChatGPT’s refusal with Gemini’s responses and raises questions about how AI companies protect artists’ rights. It does not report that Scheffler has filed a lawsuit.