Experiments A retrospective on Tess.Design, our attempt to make an ethical, artist-friendly AI marketplace. We launched Tess in May 2024 and shut it down in January 2026. In May 2024, we launched Tess.Design, a marketplace of fine-tuned AI image models where artists got paid a 50% royalty every time someone used their style. Two years later, in January 2026, we shut it down. This post is a candid account of what we built, what the data showed, and what any entrepreneur should know before trying ...