WotC WotC: 'Artists Must Refrain From Using AI Art Generation'

After it was revealed this week that one of the artists for Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants used artificial intelligence as part of their process when creating some of the book's images, Wizards of the Coast has made a short statement via the D&D Beyond Twitter (X?) account.

The statement is in image format, so I've transcribed it below.

Today we became aware that an artist used AI to create artwork for the upcoming book, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. We have worked with this artist since 2014 and he's put years of work into book we all love. While we weren't aware of the artist's choice to use AI in the creation process for these commissioned pieces, we have discussed with him, and he will not use AI for Wizards' work moving forward. We are revising our process and updating our artist guidelines to make clear that artists must refrain from using AI art generation as part of their art creation process for developing D&D art.

-Wizards of the Coast​

Ilya Shkipin, the artist in question, talked about AI's part in his process during the week, but has since deleted those posts.

There is recent controversy on whether these illustrations I made were ai generated. AI was used in the process to generate certain details or polish and editing. To shine some light on the process I'm attaching earlier versions of the illustrations before ai had been applied to enhance details. As you can see a lot of painted elements were enhanced with ai rather than generated from ground up.

-Ilya Shlipin​

​

 

[Bolongo]

Is the art good?

No, it looks like ass. Which is why people noticed. And also why we can be suspicious of WotC claiming they didn't know. Either they had no eyes looking at the art before they put it into the book, or they actually decided to try it to see what would happen.

 

[Faolyn]

I’m confused n why this is bad? This seems to be a tool . Is the art good?

In this particular case, it's bad because the artist let the AI do some stuff and then didn't double-check it. That led to some bad art (badly done feet and hands, among others). That showed laziness on the part of the artist, and the problem with using AI in general--people just use it without thinking about it and pass it off as complete, when it really should just be used as one non-final part of the process.

If he had used the AI to fix his art, and then went back to fix the AI's mistakes, it would have been OK (in my mind, at least).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

No, it looks like ass. Which is why people noticed. And also why we can be suspicious of WotC claiming they didn't know. Either they had no eyes looking at the art before they put it into the book, or they actually decided to try it to see what would happen.

If nothing else, WotC needs to try and have a scandal-free year, just so everyone won't assume the worst of them. When you've got major shenanigans happening every quarter it becomes harder and harder to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Seriously, they need some adults managing the operations over there. This is not how most companies operate.

 

[Vaalingrade]

That's probably true, but that doesn't mean that the same hucksters who were promoting NFTs aren't now reinventing themselves as AI "thought leaders." But it's probably worth everyone remembering that there are real experts in the mix, even if the conmen are attempting to crowd them out.

The conmen will move on to another industry once AI becomes more mature as a commercial product.

Precisely.

If anyone is actually interested in the advancement of this technology, you should also been hoping for the current wave of scummy use cases to flop and die because 'automated plagiarism' will become the standard that hedges out legitimate use cases.

Always remember that electric cars are ancient, but gas cars muscled them out so hard it took a hundred years for them to reemerge. The 'best' technology does not always win. The best marketed and received one does.

 

[bedir than]

I'm wondering a bit if the ability to notice this was because of the availability on DnD Beyond. The art there tends to be significantly larger for all pieces than most of what's in the books.

Would we notice the finger-toes on a wolf if the wolf is a half inch by half inch?

 

[Scribe]

If nothing else, WotC needs to try and have a scandal-free year, just so everyone won't assume the worst of them. When you've got major shenanigans happening every quarter it becomes harder and harder to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If that ship has not sailed for a given individual, it never will. Most of us here (there was a poll last year) dont want AI art replacing humans, and most of us understand ethically its not right.

Wizards like most corporations didnt consider that, they just look at "How can I stretch my budget this year."

Or maybe Planescape art took all the budget. I dont know.

 

[bedir than]

If that ship has not sailed for a given individual, it never will. Most of us here (there was a poll last year) dont want AI art replacing humans, and most of us understand ethically its not right.

Wizards like most corporations didnt consider that, they just look at "How can I stretch my budget this year."

Or maybe Planescape art took all the budget. I dont know.

The artist in question is someone they've used for nearly a decade.
Continuing to use them on a new project as they transitioned to applying AI in some cases isn't proof that Wizards was trying to save money or flex into heavy use of AI.

 

[Malmuria]

I have a feeling that if people found out they were using Chat GPT to write the books people would be upset (or perhaps unsurprised...), and yet this trashy looking AI art represents the march of progress?

 

[Abstruse]

This seems somewhat relevant to the discussion as well: Someone asks ChatGPT which would be easier to replace with "AI", a screenwriter or a corporate CEO.

 

[Morrus]

Why the deleted posts? Nothing said was controversial, just an admission from someone in the AI/NFT space, to using AI to finish his work.

I don’t know. Ask him!