Feybound, a Pathfinder sourcebook released on November 4, has come under fire for allegedly containing AI artwork. The offending images were first flagged by fans on Reddit on November 10. However, Paizo has told Wargamer “we have discussed the concerns raised with the artist responsible for the art in Feybound, and the artist denies using AI”.
The Reddit post highlights seven illustrations as supposed evidence. The listed ‘signs’ of generative AI include temple pillars that lack symmetry, impossible architecture, and animals and people melting together in strange, unsightly ways.
However, Paizo tells Wargamer that, following its investigation, “the art director supports the artist, who has produced a lot of material for Paizo over the years.” “Paizo does not use AI art in our products, and all artists sign a contract with a clear exclusion of using artificial intelligence in their creations”, it adds.
Paizo’s policy on generative AI is well-known and long-standing. Back in 2023, a blog post titled Paizo and Artificial Intelligence stated: “Paizo will not use AI-generated ‘creative’ work of any kind for the foreseeable future”. “The ethical and legal issues surrounding “AI art” and writing prompt programs-and the serious threat they pose to the livelihoods of partners who have helped us get to where we are today as a company-demand that we take a firm position against the use of this technology in Paizo products.”
That same post asserts that Paizo’s creative contracts require all submitted work to be human-made. “Our customers expect a human touch to our releases, and so long as the ethical and legal circumstances surrounding these programs remains murky and undefined, we are unwilling to associate our brands with the technology in any way”, it adds.
“Stated plainly-when you buy a Paizo product, you can be sure that it is the work of human professionals who have spent years honing their craft to produce the best work we can.”
Whatever your opinion of the artwork in question, the scenario shines light on a sad truth for artists and publishers. As generative AI continues to train on the stolen work of artists, its presence gets harder to police. AI art isn’t simply stealing creative ideas and economic opportunities from real artists. It’s also subjecting them to intense, sometimes unfair scrutiny, as the general public attempts to root out the AI wrongdoers that policy might have missed.
Still, Paizo says to its community: “thanks for bringing it to our attention”, and reminds us it “takes alleged use of AI products in our art seriously”.
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Source: Wargamer
