Tsai A-Ga (蔡阿嘎)'s AI-versus-painter poll sparked a 150K-signature boycott

In June 2026 蔡阿嘎, one of Taiwan's most-followed creators, paid a Tokyo street painter about NT$200 for a 似顏繪 portrait of his two young sons. He then shared the hand-drawn result on Instagram against an AI-generated version and asked followers to vote which was better, framing the painter's work as the joke.

Fans read the post as mocking a working artist over a near-nothing fee. A backlash built quickly, and on 23 June 蔡阿嘎 posted an apology video. It did not settle the anger: his fan base, the 嘎家軍, turned on the critics, and a petition calling for a boycott of his sponsor brands passed 150,000 signatures before the campaign was closed at the end of June.

The creator posted a second, longer apology, but the episode had already re-drawn the line between a joke and exploitation in Taiwan's influencer economy.