Furore over dodgy AI-enhanced D&D art sees book revised and WotC swear off AI art for now
A preview for D&D's upcoming sourcebook, Bigby Presents: The Glory of Giants, was posted on the D&D beyond website last week—and the community is none too pleased. Fans spotted signs of AI generated artwork, with a tweet from NeverNotDM gathering over 7,000 likes after highlighting shoddy elements in the book's art.
Is Wizards using AI art in official sourcebooks? These images from Bigby's Presents are seriously concerning. At the best, it's terrible quality, at the worst, it means a lot of artists are going to lose jobs. #DnD #dnd5e pic.twitter.com/LIgBVUNzN4August 4, 2023
There are a lot of problems with artist Ilya Shkipin's work, here: one frost giant's legs simply devolved into wispy, confused brushes. Another giant's foot is twisted at an impossible angle, while their wolf companion sports painted human toenails in the place of fluffy paws.
Tabletop fans weren't exactly jazzed about the prospect of future books getting flooded with grubby AI work, plagued by uncanny anatomy and Schrodinger's feet. The comments on the inciting preview speak volumes, quickly devolving into debates over Shkipin's art.
By Sunday, Wizards of the Coast aired an official statement on D&D Beyond's Twitter/X page, promising to not use AI for Wizards' artwork going forward.
On AI-generated art and Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants: pic.twitter.com/q6oXRRITk9August 5, 2023
The tweet, which states the company has worked with artist Ilya Shkipin since 2014, claims that Wizards of the Coast were unaware the artist had used AI tools in the creation of his commissioned pieces. This is despite the fact that Shkipin has been publically pro-AI since 2021.
In a now-deleted statement—saved by NeverNotDM—Shkipin defended his use of the tools: «AI was
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