AI Images Allegedly Replace Hand-Made Art in Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

A June 2026 investigation alleges that AI-generated images replaced the original hand-assembled illustrations in John Koenig's Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows without attribution or consent. The photo-collages were core to the project's identity, custom-made to match each emotional concept. If true, the substitution erases illustrator credit and exemplifies a growing pattern: generated content passing as human work within established creative projects.