Magic: The Gathering Backtracks on AI-Generated Marketing Image, Apologizes to Fans

Wizards of the Coast has reversed course and admitted that a recent marketing image for Magic: The Gathering was made using generative AI. Today, Wizards of the Coast released a statement apologizing for the use of an AI-generated marketing image, just a few days after it had claimed that the same image was made by humans. "Well, we made a mistake earlier when we said that a marketing image we posted was not created using AI," the statement, posted on social media, read. "As you, our diligent community pointed out, it looks like some AI components that are now popping up in industry standard tools like Photoshop crept into our marketing creative, even if a human did the work to create the overall image. While the art came from a vendor, it's on us to make sure that we are living up to our promise to support the amazing human ingenuity that makes Magic great." 

Wizards originally posted the image on social media this week to promote its upcoming Ravnica Remastered set, which is due out for release this month. Fans quickly pointed out that the image, which had several actual Magic cards sitting in a steampunk-inspired workshop, featured several hallmarks of AI-generated imagery, with wiring of a machine seemingly transforming from copper to rubber, a gauge's measurement marks growing more uneven and distorted, and light filaments that didn't actually attach to anything. However, Wizards of the Coast defended the artwork in spite of criticism from fans and artists, saying that the piece was human-made.

After several Magic: The Gathering freelance artists said they'd no longer be working with Wizards as a result of the use of AI-art, Wizards of the Coast seemingly reversed course, taking down both the image and their defense of it from their social media pages. 

Wizards elaborated on their statement further on Magic's website, noting that they always wanted to use human-made art pieces, even when that art isn't being used in Magic products. "We already made clear that we require artists, writers, and creatives contributing to the Magic TCG to refrain from using AI generative tools to create final Magic products," the statement read. "What's now apparent is that we need to update the way we work with vendors on creative beyond our products—like marketing images we use on social media—to make sure that we're supporting the amazing human ingenuity that is so important to Magic. Along with so many others, we also want to get better at understanding whether and how AI is used in the creative process. We believe everyone benefits from more transparency and better disclosure. We can't promise to be perfect in such a fast-evolving space, especially with generative AI becoming standard in tools such as Photoshop, but our aim is to always come down on the side of human made art and artists."

The controversy is the third related to AI that Wizards of the Coast has had to grapple with in recent weeks. Another image came under scrutiny for supposedly being made with AI, although ComicBook.com reached out to the artist of the piece and received multiple work-in-progress pieces showing that the art was human-made. Additionally, Wizards came under fire for a graphic designer posting whose responsibilities included extending or changing artwork to meet certain requirements. With no proof, an X user claimed that the job posting showed that Wizards planned to use AI in the future, setting off another round of discourse around AI. It's noted that the use of AI by Wizards has been particularly scrutinized after the company segment was hit with layoffs as part of a wider Hasbro move, with art departments in both the Magic and Dungeons & Dragons division impacted.