'Well, we made a mistake earlier': WoTC backtracks on AI controversy

A few days ago, Wizards of the Coast shared a promotional image for new Magic the Gathering (MTG) cards. Fans quickly spotted the use of generative AI once again by the company and called out for shamefully doing it again after being caught previously.

The company stood strong on their claim, saying the image was made by humans. However, two days later, the company backtracked from their stance and removed the previous post containing the image made using AI.

“Well, we made a mistake earlier when we said that a marketing image we posted was not created using AI,” Wizards of the Coast in their official post. They further pressed that while the art may have come from their partner vendors, it was their responsibility to verify its integrity.

Well, we made a mistake earlier when we said that a marketing image we posted was not created using AI. Read on for more. (1/5)

— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) January 7, 2024

“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,” the company said further regarding artists they work with.

How do we know the image was AI-generated?

While on a quick look, the image looked fine, however, multiple artists with the talent for finding minuscule details pointed out irregularities. While AI can make some great-looking images, it is still not able to properly create minor details.

As expected, the move was not well received by the fans. The decision to double down and claim it was made by humans also did not help the company, especially when they were also in a similar controversy last year.

While the company’s move to quickly realize its mistake and apologize is commendable, these things break the trust of fans. Only time will tell if Wizards of the Coast stand by their words or pull a similar trick in the future.