Xbox Allegedly Uses Generative AI on Promotional Art Materials for Indie Games

Xbox is under fire for allegedly using AI-generated art for promotional materials for indie games. Fans were quick to notice several clues on an artwork posted on the ID@Xbox account on X.

The post quickly gained attention in the gaming community, with players pointing fingers at Microsoft for using AI to create promotional materials for its indie games. Xbox has now deleted the original post.

Xbox is Considering Free, Ad-Supported Tier for Game Pass — Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Generative AI on Xbox Promotional Posts

The post in question was posted last Dec. 27, intending to gain the fans' insight on their favorite indie games in 2023. The post was accompanied by artwork that featured kids on sleds in a winter wonderland.

Fans claimed that while the post seemed normal at first glance, there were small, unusual details such as mustaches on children, odd-shaped objects, and a man with lips fused with his teeth. Oddities are common for AI-generated artworks, and most often, these details are so small that only a trained eye can spot it first.

@ID_Xbox , thank you for deleting the post, but that's actually not enough, it's just cleaning up the messes, without a public clarification of the error, this is just throwing the stone and hiding the hand.

I hope you understand that the indie creative industry DON'T want this https://t.co/5PVS2fvIWI pic.twitter.com/PO2qN070we
— NecroKuma (@NecroKuma3) December 28, 2023

Gamers and artists voiced their concerns about the strange post that started the controversy. Although Xbox deleted the post to put some damage control, the company did not issue any statement to address the concern.

Generative AI Faces Backlash on Artist Community

Outside the realm of gaming, Disney also faced a backlash after professional illustrators proved that the company used generative AI for a "Loki" season 2 poster. Similar to the tell-tale signs from Xbox, the "Loki" poster was accused of using AI-generated stock images as part of the material's element.

On the contrary, some game developers slowly embrace AI as part of their process. For instance, Persona director Kazuhisa Wada shared that AI art can guide sketches, especially when brainstorming for different concepts under the same idea.

Regardless, Wada also emphasized that no amount of AI art could permanently replace artists, and any AI material should not be part of the final product.