GamesStrategyMagic: The GatheringWizards of the Coast has admitted to using AI art in a recent promotional imageWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesStrategyMagic: The GatheringWizards of the Coast has admitted to using AI art in a recent promotional imageWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
Update 1/7/24:In the days following this story, Wizards of the Coast acknowledged that the Magic: The Gathering promo image was indeed made using AI tools. You canread our latest storyon the controversy and its aftermath.
Original Story:In December, Wizards of the Coast committed tonot using AI artin Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons, saying it requires its artists, writers, and other creative contributors “to refrain from using AI generative tools” to create its products. Despite that, MtG fans are accusing the company of using AI to create the backdrop for a promotional image of new cards—something WotC flatly denies.
Wizards shared the image onTwitteron January 4, writing, “It’s positively shocking how good these lands look in retro frame.” And frankly, I think it does look pretty good: The Edison bulbs, the old-timey pressure gauge, the out-of-focus books and pipes and stuff on the walls in the background—there’s definitely a vibe going on, and I dig it.
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
That denial hasn’t convinced many followers, however.
(Image credit: GreenSkyDragon (Twitter))
(Image credit: Trademark5266 (Twitter))
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Just a few months later, it faced new accusations about the use of AI art in another publication, but in that case the claims werefalse.
I hate to say it but I suspect that at some point in the probably not-too-distant future, it won’t matter, either because we lose interest in the whole thing or it simply becomes impossible to tell what’s AI art and what isn’t. That will leave us with a choice: Believe companies when they say they haven’t used AI-generated art, or don’t and… well, that’s the tricky part, isn’t it? Some “features” of the future are easy to avoid if we so choose (I’m looking at you, self-checkouts) but others are going to be far stickier to deal with.
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