Sam Riegel's blunt dismissal of AI as "basically garbage" when it comes to art isn't just another celebrity hot take—it's a necessary defense of the messy, human labor that actually makes creative work matter in gaming-adjacent spaces like Critical Role's animated epics.

In the ComicsBeat interview, the co-founder and Peter Habib confirmed zero AI touched the song "Who Will You Be?" for The Mighty Nein, with Riegel stressing that art "isn’t supposed to be easy" and questioning why we'd hand over the very things that define humanity. Reddit's r/criticalrole community is already amplifying the quote, framing it as a stand against industry creep toward soulless automation.

This pushback lands especially hard amid broader 2026 conversations about AI in entertainment, where some creators are folding while others, like Critical Role, double down on collaboration between real people—voice actors, songwriters, animators—who bring lived experience and emotional depth no algorithm can replicate. The message is clear: human creativity deserves protection, not replacement.