Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks Talks AI Usage in D&D [UPDATED!]

Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks is convinced that the Dungeons & Dragons franchise will support some kind of AI usage in the future. Speaking today at a Goldman Sachs event, Cocks spoke about how AI products could soon support Dungeons & Dragons and other Hasbro brands. Asked about whether AI has the potential to "bend the cost curve" in terms of entertainment development or digital gaming, and how it's being used in the toy and content industries, Cocks said the following:

"Inside of development, we've already been using AI. It's mostly machine-learning-based AI or proprietary AI as opposed to a ChatGPT approach. We will deploy it significantly and liberally internally as both a knowledge worker aid and as a development aid. I'm probably more excited though about the playful elements of AI. If you look at a typical D&D player....I play with probably 30 or 40 people regularly. There's not a single person who doesn't use AI somehow for either campaign development or character development or story ideas. That's a clear signal that we need to be embracing it. We need to do it carefully, we need to do it responsibly, we need to make sure we pay creators for their work, and we need to make sure we're clear when something is AI-generated. But the themes around using AI to enable user-generated content, using AI to streamline new player introduction, using AI for emergent storytelling, I think you're going to see that not just our hardcore brands like D&D but also multiple of our brands."

Wizards of the Coast representatives has repeatedly said that Dungeons & Dragons is a game made by people for people, as multiple AI controversies has surrounded the brand and its parent company. Wizards updated its freelance contracts to explicitly prohibit use of AI and has pulled down AI-generated artwork that was submitted for Bigby's Presents: Glory of the Giants in 2023 after they learned it was made using AI tools.

A FAQ related to AI specifically notes that "Hasbro has a vast portfolio of 1900+ brands of which Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons are two – two very important, cherished brands. Each brand is going to approach its products differently. What is in the best interest of Trivial Pursuit is likely quite different than that of Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons & Dragons." This statement acknowledges that Hasbro may use AI for other brands, while also stating that Wizards is trying to keep AI-generated artwork away from the game. However, while Wizards seems to want to keep AI away from D&D and Magic, their parent company's CEO seems to think that AI and D&D aren't naturally opposed.

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UPDATE -- Greg Tito, who was WotC's communications director until recently, commented on BlueSky: "I'm deeply mistrustful of AI and don't want people using it anywhere near my D&D campaigns."

 

[Oofta]

I get the idea that multiple groups can exist. I've had times in my life when that has been true.

Really, it's not even that big of a deal. I'm just a little bit baffled by what is meant by saying "...regularly..." with "...30-40..." people.

Maybe that is true for him.

Maybe I'm out of touch with how most people currently play. Is it the normal experience to regularly play D&D with AI and 30-40 people?

I've been at Adventurer's League events with sons 30-40 people, but -in my mind- just hating present in the same building while other groups play at different tables doesn't mean I am playing with them.

Depends on how much you bounce around. For example we would have game days on the weekend, two sessions per day. I DMed about half the time so that was one group of individuals and then I would play, often with little or no overlap. Then I went to the other side of the metro area (we were pretty much halfway between both) and repeated that pattern. Throw in not sitting with the same people at the same location every game day along with conventions here and there and it adds up fast.

Remember that for AL you have some interconnected games, but almost everything is set to be a single four hour session. You can play two mods with totally different people.

 

[darjr]

Greg Tito has a few words.

Greg Tito (@gregtito.com)

I'm deeply mistrustful of AI and don't want people using it anywhere near my D&D campaigns.

bsky.app

 

[Dire Bare]

I get the idea that multiple groups can exist. I've had times in my life when that has been true.

Really, it's not even that big of a deal. I'm just a little bit baffled by what is meant by saying "...regularly..." with "...30-40..." people.

Maybe that is true for him.

Maybe I'm out of touch with how most people currently play. Is it the normal experience to regularly play D&D with AI and 30-40 people?

I've been at Adventurer's League events with sons 30-40 people, but -in my mind- just hating present in the same building while other groups play at different tables doesn't mean I am playing with them.

Oh come on man . . . of all the things to doubt in Cock's statements.

Okay, so YOU don't regularly play with that many people. So?

Who knows how often he games and how many folks are in each group. Is it any of our business? If he games twice a week, but with alternating groups . . . or games with folks at WotC during the work week . . . or is involved in Adventurers League games . . . or online games . . .

Somebody with 30-40 D&D gamers in their regular social circle and gaming groups is high, but it is not unreasonable.

Sheesh.

 

[Dire Bare]

Greg Tito has a few words.

Greg Tito (@gregtito.com)

I'm deeply mistrustful of AI and don't want people using it anywhere near my D&D campaigns.

bsky.app

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View attachment 379782

Thanks @darjr!

The "update" in the OP doesn't seem to add anything, but your more exhaustive breakdown of Tito's comments does. Also adds to Tito's earlier comments about working for a-holes, er I mean shareholders.

 

[Lidgar]

Thanks @darjr!

The "update" in the OP doesn't seem to add anything, but your more exhaustive breakdown of Tito's comments does. Also adds to Tito's earlier comments about working for a-holes, er I mean shareholders.

Also interesting that he says this is one of the major reasons why he left.

AI has captivated investors and corporate boards for a while now. It’s the temptation around all the “efficiencies” it can create. We are certainly interested in at at our firm, but we are a science and technology firm, so it’s more of a fit.

While certain AI tools may find a home in gaming, I certainly don’t have any plans to use it at my table. Why would I rob myself or my players of the most important aspects of the game - creativity and problem solving?

 

[Von Ether]

I have a dm who has used AI to generate pictures, boxed text, custom monsters, and even plots. He has to tweak everything a bit, but it does a bunch of the work for him.

Why does a GM need boxed text? Boxed text is a short hand device for the adventure designer to suggest how a GM paints a visual image or interaction. For homebrew, the DM already knows what the scene is going to be like.

As for a lot of the stuff AI is being used for, it makes me wonder how long before a lot of OSR writers lose their biggest source of income, providing random tables of ... everything.

 

[Oofta]

Also interesting that he says this is one of the major reasons why he left.

AI has captivated investors and corporate boards for a while now. It’s the temptation around all the “efficiencies” it can create. We are certainly interested in at at our firm, but we are a science and technology firm, so it’s more of a fit.

While certain AI tools may find a home in gaming, I certainly don’t have any plans to use it at my table. Why would I rob myself or my players of the most important aspects of the game - creativity and problem solving?

I have used AI art when I couldn't find something that matched what I was envisioning. I will also use tools occasionally to generate NPCs. But I use those simply for inspiration, it's not like I'm just the middleman. So in that sense I could see it being useful.

He sound very anti-AI which could be coloring his judgement. But I still stand by what I said long ago on this thread, it's just corporate buzzword games. At least for now.

 

[MichaelSomething]

The obvious solution is for Cocks to play D&D with Enworlders. Once he played with the best of the best, he'll know what D&D really is about.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Why does a GM need boxed text? Boxed text is a short hand device for the adventure designer to suggest how a GM paints a visual image or interaction. For homebrew, the DM already knows what the scene is going to be like.

People have different skills. Some people can be good at visualizing a place in their mind but still be poor at describing it on the fly. Having a description prepared in advance, either one you write yourself or from a product, can be a good way to ensure that you convey the atmosphere of the place the way you want to and don't forget to mention any important details.

 

[Azzy]

Why does a GM need boxed text? Boxed text is a short hand device for the adventure designer to suggest how a GM paints a visual image or interaction. For homebrew, the DM already knows what the scene is going to be like.

Some DMs may find it easier to create atmospheric descriptions in writing than freestyling or trying to remember all the salient details that they need to share.