OpenAI and xAI Embrace AI's Deliberately Crude Art Trend With Official Templates

Generative AI developers have traditionally showcased their technology through realistic, polished images. But social media users have recently moved in the opposite direction, embracing thick lines, rough doodles and deliberately unfinished artwork reminiscent of Microsoft Paint in the 1990s. The trend shows that competition in AI imagery is expanding beyond visual quality to meme appeal, playful interaction and participation in online culture.

As of July 20, 2026, OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI had followed the social media trend by adding deliberately hand-drawn “Scribble”-style options to their official templates or features, allowing users to apply the look directly. Available event data does not disclose exact launch dates, usage figures or related financial amounts. Still, the companies' rapid move to turn the trend into products shows that social-media prompting practices have become a signal for feature development.