On Sunday, a Reddit user named Thready704 posted a photo of a Yeti relaxing on a hammock in Chapter 7 of Fortnite and asked whether or not the image was created using artificial intelligence. Many Fortnite gamers see images with inconsistent numbers of toes, like the Yeti, as an indicator that it was generated using AI.
The popularity of Thready’s post caused a larger search for more suspected AI assets related to Fortnite; as of the posting, Thready’s Yeti has not been confirmed to have been AI-generated. Another user posted a photo of graffiti from the Battle Pass (featuring Marty McFly in a manga-style drawing) and accused it of being created with AI, but the majority of people commented in opposition by stating that the accusation lacked merit. The artist of the Marty McFly image posted a video later demonstrating the complete breakdown of the various layers, which showed that the image was purely hand-drawn.
Interest in using AI in video games has increased ever since Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney expressed his opinion in a podcast episode in early 2023 that he doesn’t believe gaming storefronts need to be transparent about the use of AI, as they will be commonplace throughout the industry in the not-too-distant future; however, Steam requires developers to disclose all AI usage, while Epic Games Store does not yet require disclosure regarding any Chapter 7 artwork that contains AI.
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