An official Xbox account that promotes Indie Games is facing controversy after using AI-generated art in their post. Read more to learn about the controversy and how it started.
Xbox Slammed Over AI Usage
Xbox Deletes AI Post
The controversy began on December 27, when the Xbox Twitter(X) account, ID@Xbox, was accused of posting AI-generated art. The post had the caption "Walking in a wonderland of independence. Which independent games from the year did you enjoy the most?" accompanied by an AI-generated picture of kids sledding down a snowy hill with text written that says "ID" and an Xbox logo.
This post was met with a lot of criticism after users found out that the art used was AI-generated. Twitter(X) user NecroKuma3 reposted by saying "If you can’t hire an artist to do advertising, I highly doubt you’ll do it with independent developers." Another user a Pixel artist named TAHK0, replied "Bro not Xbox using ayy-eye to promote indie devs." Due to the account being focused on promoting Indie games, many users also questioned why Xbox did not contact or support artists who have worked on indie games to commission their artwork.
Since then, ID@Xbox has deleted the post and has yet to respond to the backlash. Stay tuned for an update on this.
Microsoft Stance on AI Content
AI-generated art has been a large topic of controversy and debate in the art and gaming community due to its use of different artworks without the consent of these artists causing plagiarism. Gaming companies have also taken their stance on AI-generated content with names such as Steam refusing to publish games using AI-generated assets.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has been a supporter of AI with their recent Xbox multi-year partnership with Inworld to develop an AI toolkit for game development. This tool will allow AI NPCs to react to player questions. Microsoft has also offered a range of products such as Azure AI, and Copilot for Microsoft 365, to name a few.
