Wizards of the Coast reverses course, admits to using AI in promotional image: 'Well, we made a mistake earlier'

pcgamer.com:

After sharp-eyed Magic: The Gathering fans cried foul over a recent promotional image's seeming use of generative AI, Wizards of the Coast initially asserted that it was fully human-made. However, just two days on Wizards has deleted the offending marketing post and acknowledged that generative tools were used in the image.

The picture in question situated five new MTG cards (with their human-made bona fides, at least, not in question) on a desk in a steampunk-flavored apothecary-come-bookstore. All well and good, but minute details in the image showed telltale signs of it having been made with AI tools, namely the filaments in the lightbulbs, some of the wiring on the desk, and ticks on the pressure gauge⁠. It's all in line with image generation tools' consistent failure to render fine detail like fingers, teeth, and text.

That'd be a bummer on its own, but this comes after Wizards of the Coast swore off AI art entirely following its controversial use by a longtime freelancer in a Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook. Wizards initially denied that the MTG promotional image was made using generative AI tools, stating: «We understand confusion by fans given the style being different than card art, but we stand by our previous statement. This art was created by humans and not AI.»

Magic fans were not convinced though, and even some artists who work with Wizards of the Coast expressed alarm and dismay. Illustrator Jason Rainville stated that he was considering alternate sources for commissions if Wizards would be pursuing this tech despite its prior statements, though the artist has since retracted that criticism following Wizards' admission and promise to do better. Artist Dave Rapoza, on the other hand, declared he was done