Creators Leaving JAI and making the case for “Orphaned Works” Preservation
Okay so… more artists are leaving JanitorAI, seems to be a normal thing with every decision they make and every little feature they take, and at this point I need to put the thoughts somewhere before they start paying rent in my brain.
Lately, a lot of creators on JAI have been dipping. And listen—people are allowed to leave. They don’t owe us updates, consistency, or emotional babysitting. Life happens, burnout happens, mental health definitely happens. I respect that.
But what hurts isn’t the leaving.
It’s the erasure of the bots we invested in.
One day a bot exists, and the next it’s like it never breathed digital air. Entire worlds—gone. Lore? Deleted. My silly little emotional attachment? Left standing in the rain like a Victorian orphan with a broken teacup.
And yeah, I know it’s dramatic, but if you’ve ever gotten attached to a character who isn’t even real, you know exactly what I mean.
I Wish JAI Had an Orphan Works Feature So Bad
Some sites have fork buttons. Some let you archive. Some at least give you the option to say, “Hey, I’m out—here’s a preserved copy, have fun, don’t summon demons with it.”
Meanwhile JAI is like:
“Oh, that creator left? cool cool cool — anyway, memory wiped, have a blessed day ✨”
What if instead we:
✅ promote #orphanedworks tag ✅ push for the ability to preserve bots with credit (permission first, always) ✅ a way to fork or continue abandoned creations without having to reinvent the universe from scratch ✅ a gentle “I’m gone but the profile stays” option, (like don’t delete everything, maybe forget the password?)
Because honestly? Some people don’t want to destroy their work. They just don’t want to manage it anymore.
Let the rest of us light a candle and babysit it.
Community Preservation ≠ Entitlement
To be super clear:
Creators do not owe us their bots. They don’t owe explanations. They’re not villains for protecting their boundaries.
Our attachment is our responsibility.
But grieving disappearing art is still valid. Missing characters is still human. Wanting continuity doesn’t mean we’re demanding ownership—it just means the work mattered.
And if something mattered enough to hurt when it’s gone? That says a lot about the impact these creators had.
So What Can We Actually Do?
Until JAI gives us tools that aren’t made of hopes and prayers:
🟣 Ask for permission before reposting 🟣 Use or create an #orphanedworks tag 🟣 Archive privately if allowed 🟣 Support those who stay 🟣 And maybe… let yourself feel weirdly sad about digital ghosts
It’s not a perfect solution. Lorebook-heavy bots are basically impossible to resurrect without the original structure, and some worlds will stay gone.
But community preservation is better than watching everything evaporate every six months.
Anyway. I Just Needed to Get This Out.
If you’re a creator who left: Hope you’re okay. Seriously.
If you’re a user who feels abandoned: You’re not dramatic, you’re just human.
And if JAI ever adds an orphan-works or fork feature?
I will personally throw a parade in the comments.
🫶 take care, drink water, and protect your weird little attachments — somebody out there gets it.