Why is my local city and public library looking to pay $50/hr to an AI Artist Residency?
The Calgary Public Library is offering $8,000 for an AI Artist Residency while Canadian artists face funding cuts and 16% grant acceptance rates. There are programs like this around the world. Why?
round a week ago, Calgary's [public library account](https://www.instagram.com/p/DVRiQ2vCbqB/) on Instagram announced that they're looking for an "AI Collaborative Artist (AIC) 2026 at Calgary Public Library [for] a 10-week community engagement residency, from June 29 – September 4, 2026."
It certainly is a lucrative position, paying ["$50/hr up to a total of 160 hours over the 10 weeks for a total of $8000"](https://calgaryartsdevelopment.com/classified-ads/creative-in-residence-calgary-public-library-2026/) which "includes offsite preparation time and onsite program delivery time, including consultations and time to work on their stated project." This isn't even mentioning the new bizarre café in the library which has their assets, branding, and marketing [ENTIRELY AI generated](https://www.instagram.com/everroast_cafe_yyc/). I realized upon reading this that I needed to speak up and say something, regardless of how exhausted I am of anything generative AI at this point.
## This Is Happening EVERYWHERE.
And this isn't the only AI Artist residency program. A province over has [A Position on Retreat Artist Residency](https://apositiononretreat.com/workshops) where artists would be working "[o]ver two weeks on Vancouver Island, with Dr. Brad Necyk" and by the end of it, they'll "leave with real, tangible work: a completed AI-generated short film or digital media project you're proud of."
In Winnipeg, the Harbour Collective and Video Pool Media Arts Centre have [AI Mentorship Residency: Breaking the System](https://videopool.org/aimentorshipresidency2025/) which aims to give "BIPOC artists an opportunity to dive into the experimental side of AI." The Government of Quebec has a ["Residency for Creation and Presentation in Arts and Artificial Intelligence"](https://www.calq.gouv.qc.ca/en/aides/residence-recherche-aix-marseille-arts-intelligence-artificielle).
Down in New York, Artiver has an [AI Residency Program](https://www.artiver.ai/ai-residency). There's also the online [AI Hokusai ArtTech Research Project](https://www.aihokusai.art/artairesidency) where artists "blend their unique artistic practices with cutting-edge tools like AI, VR, and new media". It goes on and on and on.
My initial measured, articulated thoughts are as follows: What the fuck is going on? I deeply struggle to try to understand and sympathize with any of these initiatives.
These public and private institutions are pouring funding into projects which are antithetical to the values of most artists. A [2024 survey of 459 artists published at the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society](https://aihub.org/2025/01/14/understanding-artists-perspectives-on-generative-ai-art-and-transparency-ownership-and-fairness/) found that **61% of artists consider generative AI a dir
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