Free tool: runs in your browser
Illustration commission AI brief checklistbefore you accept a brief or deliver the files
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Review the exact brief you were sent, including any generated images, the current commission terms, and the files you will deliver.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page cannot decide a commissioning dispute, and it is not legal advice.
Check the records you can still show
Tick what is true of the brief you were sent, the current terms, and the files you will deliver. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true before you accept a brief or deliver a commission that involves AI
This looks at the exact brief you were sent, including any generated images, the current commission terms, and the files you will deliver. It cannot decide a commissioning dispute, and it is not legal advice.
What to do now
What should I keep if a commission brief involves AI? The short answer
Keep a dated copy of the exact brief you were sent, including any AI-generated images in a moodboard or reference set, a dated copy of the current commission terms, and dated copies of the exact files you will deliver. If you are asked to copy, refine or redraw a generated image, write down what you are being asked to do, and what you will and will not do.
This checklist is not a commissioning decision. A TimeBind of a file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show who made the work, or who holds the rights.
Why this came up in October 2026
On 13 October 2026, the Association of Illustrators published AI and the Future of Illustration, drawing on a 2026 survey of 549 illustrators (WordPress date 13 October 2026, 14:11 UTC, which is 14 October 2026, 00:11 Australia/Brisbane; dated permalink theaoi.com/2026/10/13/ai-and-the-future-of-illustration). Almost half of the respondents, 46%, said they knew they had lost work because a client chose generative AI instead, up from 32% in a 2025 survey. The two surveys are separate samples, not the same illustrators followed over time.
Lost commissions were only part of the picture. The AOI reported that 62% had encountered AI-generated images in briefs or moodboards, 36% had been asked to copy, refine or redraw AI-generated images, 31% reported clients expecting lower fees because AI tools exist, and 27% reported expectations of faster turnaround. Only 7% had noticed no AI-related changes to commissioning. One anonymous respondent, quoted by the AOI, said they were "stripped out of the concept and research work to be left only with an execution role."
The Bookseller reported the same survey on 29 October 2026. The full report PDF is at theaoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-AI-Survey-Analysis.pdf. The file's own creation stamp is 9 October 2026, which is just outside this demand window; the official post date is the hook.
Measured demand sits mainly in that official survey and in trade press, with some search around it. Autocomplete checked on 12 November 2026, about 8:40 PM Australia/Brisbane, returned "illustrators losing jobs to ai" and "association of illustrators ai", plus contest-related suggestions for "ai illustration contest". Seeds about contract clauses returned no suggestions. Counts and suggestions will keep moving.
The checks are written for the next time an illustrator is about to accept a brief or deliver files, in any country. Always follow the current terms that apply to that commission. This page does not retry any client's decision, and it does not replace a contract.
Sources: the AOI report page of 13 October 2026, and the Bookseller article of 29 October.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to slow down a brief or a delivery until the exact files and the terms are in hand, not to judge a commission for you. See also the glossary entries for existed no later than and fingerprint.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| The exact brief | Gives you a reason to pause until the brief you were sent, including any generated reference images, is kept. | Show that a later email or a verbal change is the same brief. |
| Commission terms | Reminds you to read what the client may do with the work in AI systems. | Interpret a contract for you, or create a clause. |
| The delivered files | Reminds you to keep dated copies of the exact files you will deliver, separate from later revisions or a client crop. | Show who made the work, or who holds the rights. |
| A TimeBind of a file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, using a SHA-256 fingerprint made in your browser. The file stays on your device. | Decide a commissioning dispute, or a detector or authorship result. |
If a commission file is one you may need to stand behind later
Before you accept a brief or deliver the files:
- Keep a dated copy of the exact brief, the current terms, and the exact files you will deliver.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file or archive you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Write down any agreement about how AI use will be described, and store the brief, the terms, the delivered files, that note and the certificate together.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It is not a commissioning decision, and it is not a finding that you hold the rights.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you are about to sign a contract rather than write a brief, see also the free AI clause creative contract checklist. It is not legal advice.
Illustration commission AI brief checklist: FAQ
Can this tool decide a commissioning dispute, or show that I hold the rights in the work?
No. It cannot decide a commissioning dispute, and it cannot show that you hold the rights in the work. It only helps you review the exact brief, terms and files you still hold. This is not legal advice.
What should I keep when a brief includes an AI-generated image?
A dated copy of the exact brief you were sent, including any generated images in a moodboard or reference set, a dated copy of the current commission terms, and a written note of what you are being asked to copy, refine or redraw, and what you will and will not do. A TimeBind of an exact file you already hold can show that file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches.
What did the Association of Illustrators report in October 2026?
In a survey of 549 illustrators in 2026, published on 13 October 2026, the AOI reported that 46% said they knew they had lost work because a client chose generative AI instead, up from 32% in a 2025 survey; 62% had encountered AI-generated images in briefs or moodboards; and 36% had been asked to copy, refine or redraw AI-generated images. The two surveys are separate samples. Those figures describe the respondents, not a finding about any one client or commission.
Does a dated record show that a drawing is original?
No. A dated record of a file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show who made the work, who holds the rights, or that a detector result is correct.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Is this legal advice?
No. If you need advice about a specific commission, a contract, or a rights question, speak to a lawyer or to a professional body that can advise you. This page cannot replace that answer.
Related guides and tools
- Creator timestampingThe TimeBinder hub for illustrators and other creators
- Illustration commission called AI: what artists can keepRecords to keep if a finished commission is later called AI
- Prove a design or drawing existed firstWhat a dated record can and cannot show about a drawing
- Protect art from AI scraping when you post onlineWhat to think about before you post finished work
- Photo contest entry checklistA related checklist for contest rules, not commission briefs
- GlossaryPlain definitions of fingerprint, SHA-256 and existed no later than
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the exact brief and the files you deliver
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact brief and the delivered files, kept beside the terms you may later need to show.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.