Brands caught using AI have continued to face backlash from consumers. Last month, Guess sparked outcry online when it featured an AI-generated model in an advertisement that appeared in Vogue.

So even outside of any obvious mistakes made by AI tools, some artists say their clients simply want a human touch to distinguish themselves from the growing pool of AI-generated content online.

To Todd Van Linda, an illustrator and comic artist in Florida, AI art is easily discernible, if not by certain telltale inconsistencies in the details, then by the plasticine effect that defines AI-generated images across a range of styles.

“I can look at a piece and not only tell that it’s AI, I can tell you what descriptor they used to generate it,” Van Linda said. “When it comes to, especially, independent authors, they don’t want anything to do with that because it’s so formulaic, it’s obvious. It’s like they stopped off at Walmart to get a bargain cover for their book.”

Authors come to him, he said, because they know that AI-generated art fails to capture the hyperspecific “vibe” of their individual story. Often, his clients can only give him a rough idea of what they want. It’s then Van Linda’s job to decipher their preferences and create something that draws out the exact feeling each client seeks to evoke from their art.

Van Linda said he also gets approached by people who want him to “fix” their AI-generated art, but he avoids those jobs now because he has realized those clients are typically less willing to pay him what he believes his labor is worth.

“There would be more work involved in fixing those images than there would be in starting from a clean sheet of paper and doing it right, because what they have is a mismatched collection of generalities that really don’t follow what they’re trying to do,” he said. “But they’re trying to wedge the square peg into the round hole because they don’t want to spend any more money.”

The low pay from clients who have already cheaped out on AI tools has affected gig workers across industries, including more technical ones like coding. For India-based web and app developer Harsh Kumar, many of his clients say they had already invested much of their budget in “vibe coding” tools that couldn’t deliver the results they wanted.

But others, he said, are realizing that shelling out for a human developer is worth the headaches saved from trying to get an AI assistant to fix its own “crappy code.” Kumar said his clients often bring him vibe-coded websites or apps that resulted in unstable or wholly unusable systems.

His projects have included fixing an AI-powered support chatbot that gave customers inaccurate answers — and sometimes leaked sensitive system details due to poor safety measures — and rebuilding an AI content recommendation system that frequently crashed, gave irrelevant recommendations and exposed sensitive data.

“AI may increase productivity, but it can’t fully replace humans,” Kumar said. “I’m still confident that humans will be required for long-term projects. At the end of the day, humans were the ones who developed AI.”

• On August 13, 2025, Aptum announced a new partnership with Akamai Technologies to deliver cloud migration and transformation services, while Akamai also revealed a collaboration with Aqua Security to bolster AI-powered cloud security for enterprise customers.
• These recent deals signal Akamai’s growing efforts to accelerate innovation in cloud and AI security, aligning its platform with evolving enterprise technology priorities.
• We’ll examine how Akamai’s expanded cloud services partnerships may influence its investment narrative and future growth outlook.

Explore 23 top quantum computing companies leading the revolution in next-gen technology and shaping the future with breakthroughs in quantum algorithms, superconducting qubits, and cutting-edge research.

Akamai Technologies Investment Narrative Recap

To be comfortable owning Akamai Technologies, investors must believe the company can offset secular declines in its legacy delivery business by scaling its cloud, compute, and security offerings quickly enough to drive sustained revenue and profit growth. The recent partnerships with Aptum and Aqua Security underscore Akamai’s intent to align its platform with rising AI and security demands, but they do not yet materially alter the short-term catalyst of accelerating cloud revenue or reduce the main risk of margin pressure from capital-intense expansion.

Among the latest developments, Akamai’s August 13 announcement with Aptum stands out, as it connects directly to the ongoing catalyst of expanding Cloud Infrastructure Services (CIS) revenue. By partnering to offer integrated cloud migration services, Akamai aims to deepen enterprise adoption of its cloud platform, which is essential for driving the top-line growth expected as part of its transformation story.

Yet, investors should not overlook that increasing capital expenditures to support these new cloud and AI initiatives could pressure net margins if scaling proves slower or costlier than anticipated…

Read the full narrative on Akamai Technologies (it’s free!)

Akamai Technologies’ narrative projects $4.9 billion in revenue and $765.1 million in earnings by 2028. This requires 6.1% yearly revenue growth and a $340.5 million earnings increase from $424.6 million currently.

Uncover how Akamai Technologies’ forecasts yield a $95.20 fair value, a 20% upside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

Six members of the Simply Wall St Community estimate Akamai’s fair value between US$50.32 and US$131.10 per share. While bullish cloud catalysts are top of mind, many investors continue to weigh margin and profitability risks before setting expectations for the company’s path forward.

Explore 6 other fair value estimates on Akamai Technologies – why the stock might be worth as much as 66% more than the current price!

Build Your Own Akamai Technologies Narrative

Disagree with existing narratives? Create your own in under 3 minutes – extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

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Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has shared his views on teens are prioritising financial management. Cuban says that US teens are placing unprecedented importance on financial success and he feels that the shift is not only understandable but its full of opportunity. As per the data from John Burns Research and Consulting, shared by Blue Rose Research’s David Shor, 36% of American 12th graders in 2022 said money is “extremely important” to them—the highest percentage in over five decades. That’s a sharp rise from the 26% average seen through the early 2010s.

Gen Z’s money mindset

The reasons behind the financial focus are clear: stagnant wages, increasing college costs, inflation and the and the constant stream of wealth-centric content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Many of the Gen Z teens have grown up watching their families navigate economic hardship and now face their own financial pressures.“Zoomers care more about making money than any generation in at least 50 years,” Shor posted on Bluesky. Cuban responded, “Doesn’t surprise me. Every kid has people around them making money posting videos. Beats a newspaper route!”

Mark Cuban’s advice: Learn AI, teach AI, monetize AI

In an interview with CNBC, Cuban mentioned what he would do if he were 16 today: learn how to write prompts for AI tools like ChatGPT, teach others how to use them, and offer those skills to local businesses. “Doesn’t matter if I’m 16,” he said. “I’d be teaching them as well.”Cuban believes prompt engineering—crafting effective inputs for AI tools—is a high-value skill that can generate serious income, even six figures, without a college degree.

Books and bots over garbage bags

Reflecting on his own entrepreneurial beginnings selling garbage bags door-to-door at age 12, Cuban now urges teens to embrace digital tools. “Read books and learn how to use AI in every way, shape and form you can,” he posted on Bluesky. “It is a living library that gives you responses and can help no matter who you are or where you live.”Instead of selling physical products, Cuban says today’s youth can sell knowledge, skills, and content—often to a global audience.As Gen Z continues to redefine what it means to earn, Cuban’s message is clear: the internet and AI aren’t just tools—they’re gateways to financial independence, creativity, and a future where hustle meets innovation.