The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists has condemned The Baltimore Sun over its use of artificial intelligence in editorial cartooning and other creative content.

In an open letter published on September 7, 2026, the AAEC called on the newspaper to reverse course after The Sun published an AI-generated illustration on September 4.

The image was credited to The Baltimore Sun editorial staff and carried a note stating that it had been “produced using artificial intelligence tools.” The Daily Cartoonist reported on the image the same day.

The AAEC did not describe the image as an editorial cartoon. In its letter, it referred to it as an “illustration” that The Sun intended readers to accept as one.

The association also said it had been advised that this was not the newspaper’s first use of AI for creative content.

The letter, signed by AAEC President Marc Murphy, was sharply critical of the decision. The association described the image as AI “slop” and said its publication was an insult to journalism, art and the newspaper’s readers.

The KAL connection

The AAEC also pointed to The Baltimore Sun’s long association with Kevin Kallaugher, known as KAL.

Kallaugher joined The Sun as its editorial cartoonist in 1988. He left in 2006, returned after a six-year break in 2012 and left the newspaper permanently in June 2025. He is currently the editorial cartoonist for The Economist.

In its letter, the AAEC described KAL as one of the United States’ leading political cartoonists, noting that he is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a longtime member and emeritus of the association. The letter said he had been let go by The Sun in what was described as a cost-cutting move.

Kallaugher’s own biography confirms that he was a Pulitzer finalist for Editorial Cartooning in 2015 and 2020.

The AAEC linked its criticism of AI to the treatment of artists and to cost-cutting in newspapers. It said it opposed the technology because of what it described as theft from artists, misuse of environmental resources and a threat to original creative thought.

The association urged The Baltimore Sun to reject the use of AI for editorial cartoons and other creative content, arguing that doing so would help the newspaper begin to reclaim its standing in American journalism.

The September 4 illustration remains credited to The Baltimore Sun editorial staff rather than to an individual cartoonist. The Daily Cartoonist said it could not determine whether it was the newspaper’s first AI-generated editorial cartoon, while the AAEC said it had been informed that The Sun had previously used AI for other creative content.