D&D Takes Action Against AI-Generated Art In Upcoming Book

In a recent development, the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game franchise has moved to block artists from using artificial intelligence technology in its imaginative portrayals of fantasy characters and settings. The Associated Press is reporting that D&D Beyond–a subsidiary of Hasbro and a creator of online tools and companion content for the franchise–was unaware until this past weekend that one of its longtime illustrators had used AI to create commissioned artwork for an upcoming book.

In response, the franchise is taking action to address the situation and establish clear guidelines for its artists. “He will not use AI for Wizards’ work moving forward,” stated a post from D&D Beyond’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “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.”

AI-generated art often exhibits telltale glitches, such as distorted limbs, which caught the attention of skeptical D&D enthusiasts. As of this writing, neither Hasbro nor Wizards of the Coast has provided additional comments on the matter. Hasbro acquired D&D Beyond for $146.3 million last year, having already owned Wizards of the Coast for over two decades.

The contentious AI-generated art is part of an upcoming hardcover book called Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, featuring monster descriptions and lore. The book is slated for an August 15 release.

The use of AI tools in creative work has sparked copyright and labor concerns across various industries. The Hollywood strike and the Recording Academy’s revision of Grammy Awards protocols were partly influenced by such technology. In some cases, visual artists have even taken legal action against AI companies for utilizing their work without consent to create image-generators accessible to the public.