AI Images Allegedly Replaced Hand-Made Illustrations in Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

A June 2026 waxy.org investigation alleges that the photo-collage illustrations in John Koenig's Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows were replaced wholesale with AI-generated images without attribution or consent. The original artwork was integral to the project's identity—hand-assembled to match specific emotional concepts Koenig coined. If accurate, the substitution erases illustrator credit and reputational contribution, exemplifying a pattern where generated content passes as human-authored work within established creative projects.