Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, has admitted to using generative AI. They say it was unintentional and the fault of vendors that AI was used in a recent marketing campaign despite previously stating their commitment to human-made art. This revelation comes only after a former employee made it clear that the company had used AI even though they said they were not.
In December 2023, Wizards publicly declared they would not allow AI tools to create “final Magic products,” emphasizing their support for human artists. However, just weeks later, the company launched a promotional campaign with visuals suspected to be AI-generated. This discrepancy sparked an outcry, with artist Dave Rapoza publicly resigning in protest. “You can’t say you stand against this then blatantly use AI to promote your products,” Rapoza tweeted. (Thanks, Videogamer.)
Faced with community pressure and Rapoza’s departure, Wizards initially denied using AI but were later pretty ambiguous about it in an official post. The company acknowledged that “elements of generative AI” had indeed been used in the marketing materials, attributing the oversight to working with third-party vendors and the increasingly prevalent use of AI in design tools like Photoshop. While it wasn’t as adamant as the first post, they confirmed that their policy banning AI in core MTG products remains unchanged.
“Thanks to our diligent community who pointed out a series of recent marketing images may have included elements of generative AI, we are rethinking our process of how we work with vendors for our marketing creative.”
Wizards of the Coast
This incident has opened up a larger discussion about the place of AI in the creative landscape. While Wizards strives to maintain its dedication to human artistry, integrating AI into mainstream tools presents new challenges in ensuring transparency and upholding artistic integrity. To be honest, it would mean that anyone can make their own card games because one of the biggest parts of that is the art.
It remains to be seen how Wizards will adapt their workflow and communication to navigate this evolving landscape while preserving the unique human touch that defines the Magic: The Gathering brand. They seem to know their community doesn’t want them to delve into AI.
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