Magic: The Gathering publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has confessed to publishing a marketing image for the game that utilized AI components, despite their earlier claims of the art being solely human-made and their ban on AI artwork in 2023. The image, posted on the Magic: The Gathering account on X and later removed, depicted Magic cards on a steampunk-inspired backdrop. The Magic account initially rejected accusations of AI components use, arguing that the art was made by humans.
Their stance changed with a later statement acknowledging the mistaken claim. “We realized that some AI components in industry-standard tools like Photoshop were integrated into the marketing image we posted,” the Magic account revealed. The publishers noted it was important they maintained their promise to uphold human ingenuity crucial to Magic’s creative works. They further explained their oversight, stating how artists, writers, and creatives alike were all forbidden from using AI generative tools for creating final Magic products.
Wizards of the Coast, a major employer of artists and illustrators, particularly for Magic card art, has been previously called out for using AI-generated art; hence the ban. In August 2023, Wizards updated its artist guidelines to stress that artists should avoid using AI tools after AI art was identified in the D&D sourcebook. This new development came after more allegations of AI use in promotional artwork for a Magic tie-in with Tomb Raider.
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