Pax Romana AI art controversy

A well-received grand strategy game Anno 117: Pax Romana The use of AI-generated art has been caught, and developer Ubisoft has officially commented on the issue. Anno 117: Pax Romana It is a sequel to 2019 Anno 1800Above all, it was praised for its impressive hand-painted artwork.

Perhaps because of this revered work. Anno 117's use of generative AI was particularly noted by fans. Since the game's launch on November 13, players have pointed out several characteristics of the AI-generated images in the background art and loading screens. Often considered vivid, impressionistic depictions, these images Anno 117's ancient Rome setting contains strange artifacts, facial and limb distortions, and other typical Gen-AI symbols. As it turns out, players had the right to be skeptical, as Ubisoft confirmed and explained the use of at least one of the illustrations in question.

Like many other modern PC games Anno 117's Steam page discloses its use of generative AI, with a statement claiming that AI tools were used to generate some in-game assets, but that “the final product [Ubisoft Mainz’s] Craft and creative vision.”

Ubisoft has acknowledged the use of “placeholder” AI art in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Although there are several pieces Anno 117's in-game art was called AI-generated, but Ubisoft actually only responded to one of the culprits: a loading screen illustration depicting a crowd attending a lavish banquet. The images include blurry, distorted faces and background subjects that reveal grotesque physical proportions, making them what many consider a staple of the AI generation. As reported by TheGamer, Ubisoft responded with the following statement:

“This image is a placeholder asset that was unintentionally missed during the review process. The final image is attached here and will replace the current version of this piece with the upcoming 1.3 patch. Anno 117: Pax Romana As Anno's most ambitious yet, we assembled the largest team of artists in the franchise's history and used AI tools to iterate, prototype, and explore to meet the unique scope of the project. “Every element players will experience in the final game reflects the team’s skill, artistry, and creative vision.”

Ubisoft has since released new Banquet images that appear to be missing Gen-AI staples. At the time of writing, Assassin's Creed The publisher has yet to comment on other illustrations that the public considers AI-generated, which appear to still exist. Anno 117.

This won't be the last time audiences hear about AI art. Anno 117. Ubisoft claims the AI image was a placeholder that “slipped” during the review process, but it seems somewhat surprising that Ubisoft Mainz missed such an obvious mistake. Eventually, gamers realized that this was an AI image almost immediately. The chain of events certainly does the publisher-developer no favors. Because the illustrations were only modified once the audience “caught” them, the persistence of other ostensibly AI-generated images will continue to spark discussion in the future.