It’s no secret that the MTG community is vehemently against AI in their game. Besides being rather soulless, AI artwork directly threatens the livelihood of the artists who help bring MTG to life. Thanks to this, after admonishing Wizards multiple times for AI scandals, Wizards vowed that AI art would not touch Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons & Dragons.
Despite this declaration, AI has once again reared its ugly head. The most recent attempt is, frankly, the most egregious and disgusting of the bunch.
A Complete Embarrassment
Even if the MTG community were ok with AI, this MTG Arena commercial would, frankly, still be an embarrassment. From ridiculous, robotic movements of ‘human’ individuals to completely illegible MTG cards, this is some of the worst AI slop MTG players have seen from the franchise.
Notably, this is hardly the first time players have caught Wizards of the Coast using AI in MTG marketing material. After all, an ad for Ravnica Remastered’s Shock Lands had a major hand in giving birth to Wizards of the Coast’s existing AI policy. Considering the backlash this initial AI usage got from the community, it’s wild to see Wizards seemingly trying this again.
Sadly, as Wizards’ AI policy suggests, this is unlikely to be the last AI ad we see for MTG.
Only Artwork is Protected
Reading Wizards of the Coast’s AI policy, it appears that only the artwork used in MTG and Dungeons & Dragons is protected from AI use. This may mean that AI advertisements are completely within the scope of Wizards’ AI policy, as some MTG players suspect. Should this be the case, there’s a non-zero chance that vile AI ads like this could become more widespread in the future.
That said, frankly, it’s rather difficult to discern exactly what Wizards of the Coast covers in their AI policy. Artwork aside, things like AI advertisements or even AI video aren’t addressed much here. The last time this policy was updated was back in December 2024, and the capabilities of AI have completely changed since then. As a result, there’s a fair chance that the entire policy is out of date.
Regardless of whether AI advertisements are covered by the policy, there’s a fair chance this offense wasn’t intentional. As players have pointed out, a third-party contractor likely made this on WOTC’s behalf, and whatever quality assurance is in place missed it. Even if this is the case, however, Wizards will have still reviewed and greenlit this advertisement, so they’re hardly innocent.
Regardless of what happened, without an official statement, it’s impossible to know for sure what occurred. Sadly, it’s unlikely we’ll be getting a statement, too, especially with the union piling on additional anti-AI pressure. Ultimately, unless this AI ad makes players vote with their wallets, it’s difficult to imagine Wizards walking this back.
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