AI art used to illustrate ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ book

An artist was discovered to have secretly used AI to create artwork for a Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook after a backlash against the book's publisher Wizards of the Coast.

Shortly after the book's publication, fans took to social media to question whether the book art had been AI-generated, citing issues such as illustrations with malformed hands and feet. Some also questioned whether AI would take the jobs of artists and illustrators.

California-based artist Ilya Shkipin subsequently admitted using AI to help generate 'certain details or polish and editing' several original illustrations and concept sketches for Bigby's Presents: Glory of the Giants!, arguing that a lot of painted elements were 'enhanced with ai rather than generated from [the] ground up.'

The incident raised questions about the quality of the work, the ethics of using AI in a creative process, and the impact of the technology on jobs. Hasbro-owned Wizards of the Coast later banned the use of AI artwork in its products.