TLDR: BTS member RM and YouTube co-founder Steve Chen have reportedly invested in Artue, an upcoming AI-powered art company. The news, reported on October 17, 2025, has sparked significant debate among fans, particularly concerning RM’s prior public criticism of AI in creative fields. Artue aims to revolutionize the art market by using generative AI, like ChatGPT, for art recommendations and global artist promotion.
Seoul, South Korea – October 17, 2025 – BTS leader RM, known for his artistic sensibilities, has reportedly joined YouTube co-founder Steve Chen as an investor in a new artificial intelligence (AI) art venture named Artue. The investment, first reported by Maeil Business Newspaper on Friday, October 17, 2025, has quickly become a focal point of discussion among fans and netizens, largely due to RM’s previously expressed skepticism towards AI in creative industries.
Artue, which was initially unveiled at the OpenAI Korean subsidiary ceremony in September 2025, is poised to launch next month. The platform’s core offering includes providing art recommendations through the integration of generative AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT. Song Bo-young, co-founder of Habitur Associate, the startup behind Artue, is spearheading this initiative. The company’s vision is to establish an innovative distribution structure within the art market, facilitating the global promotion of Korean and other Asian artists.
The announcement has, however, drawn criticism from a segment of RM’s fanbase. Many expressed disappointment, citing lyrics from ‘All Day,’ a collaborative track with Epik High’s Tablo on RM’s debut solo album, ‘Indigo,’ which famously stated, ‘F*ck the AI, f*ck the algorithm.’ This perceived contradiction has led to accusations of hypocrisy and concerns that RM’s global influence might inadvertently encourage the adoption of AI-based art platforms, potentially impacting human artists and the appreciation of human-made art.
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Fans voiced their frustrations online, with some questioning the idol’s consistency and sincerity regarding his artistic principles. The broader debate around AI’s intrusion into human art forms, its potential to reduce job opportunities for artists, and its environmental and economic implications has fueled the backlash. Despite the controversy, Habitur Associate’s co-founder emphasized that Artue’s objective is to lead a digital transformation in the art market by integrating technology to connect artists and their works with a broader audience and collectors through AI-based curation.
