This man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend. He wasn't prepared for the backlash.

Ammaar Reshi wrote and illustrated a children's book in 72 hours using ChatGPT and Midjourney.

The book went viral on Twitter after it was met with intense backlash from artists.

Reshi said he respected the artists' concerns but felt some of the anger was misdirected.

Ammaar Reshi was reading a bedtime story to his friend's daughter when he decided he wanted to write his own.

Reshi, a product-design manager at a financial-tech company based in San Francisco, told Insider he had little experience in illustration or creative writing, so he turned to AI tools.

In December he used OpenAI's new chatbot, ChatGPT, to write "Alice and Sparkle," a story about a girl named Alice who wants to learn about the world of tech, and her robot friend, Sparkle. He then used Midjourney, an AI art generator, to illustrate it.

Just 72 hours later, Reshi self-published his book on Amazon's digital bookstore. The following day, he had the paperback in his hands, made for free via another Amazon service called KDP.

He said he paid nothing to create and publish the book, though he was already paying for a $30-a-month Midjourney subscription.

Impressed with the speed and results of his project, Reshi shared the experience in a Twitter thread that attracted more than 2,000 comments and 5,800 retweets.

Reshi said he initially received positive feedback from users praising his creativity. But the next day, the responses were filled with vitriol.

"There was this incredibly passionate response," Reshi said. "At...