It’s been a while since our ol’ pal AI reared its head in the world of MTG, but here we are again. At a Goldman Sachs conference yesterday, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks unveiled some startling revelations about the company and AI. Despite previous statements to the contrary, Cocks noted that Hasbro is not only working with AI currently but that it has plans to do so more in the future. Given how controversial AI is as a topic, this is a pretty left-field admission. And one that could spell disaster for Magic in the future.
Allies & Algorithms
During the conference, Cocks revealed a lot about Hasbro’s approach to AI. Perhaps the most surprising part of his speech was the fact that Hasbro is already using the technology, in multiple areas. When asked how the potential AI has to cut costs, Cocks responded with the following.
“Inside of development, we’ve already been using AI. It’s mostly machine-learning-based AI or proprietary AI as opposed to a ChatGPT approach. We will deploy it significantly and liberally internally as both a knowledge worker aid and as a development aid.”
Chris Cocks
There’s a lot to unpack here. For starters, the fact that Hasbro is using machine-learning and proprietary AI, as opposed to ChatGPT-type programs. These tend to be more specific solutions than general AI, used to address particular issues rather than drawing from the entirety of the internet as ChatGPT does. Whether this is better or worse than the typical model isn’t 100% clear. Proprietary AI systems tend to be licensed out at a fee, but they still use copyrighted data without permission in many cases.
The second half of Cocks’ statement is also interesting. “Significant and liberal” use of AI as a “development aid” is open enough to encapsulate pretty much anything. Later in his speech, Cocks mentioned some potential uses that may hint at what their plans are.
“I’m probably more excited though about the playful elements of AI. I play with probably 30 or 40 people regularly. There’s not a single person who doesn’t use AI somehow for either campaign development or character development or story ideas. That’s a clear signal that we need to be embracing it.”
Chris Cocks
This, of course, was in reference to Dungeons & Dragons. Using AI as a writing aid is nothing new, though it is disappointing to see an industry leader in fantasy storytelling do so. The more we rely on technology to tell our stories, the less human those stories become. Many in the MTG community echoed this sentiment when WotC came under fire for using AI to generate art for the game. In a way, using this technology to write underlying stories is even more egregious.
What Does This Mean For Magic?
While most of Cocks’ speech was related to AI in D&D, the Hasbro CEO did mention the company’s other properties as well. This means that, despite the policy WotC put in place earlier this year, Magic’s development may also be affected.
“The themes around using AI to enable user-generated content, using AI to streamline new player introduction, using AI for emergent storytelling — I think you’re going to see that not just our hardcore brands like D&D but also multiple of our brands.”
Chris Cocks
Cocks wasn’t specific here, so it’s possible that he was referring to other Hasbro properties like Monopoly or Transformers. That’s fairly unlikely, however, given that Magic is one of its best-performing brands, and therefore one likely to be on the front line when it comes to innovations like this. Of course, MTG using AI would violate WotC’s previous statement but that statement also focused on D&D.
“The core of our policy is this: Magic and D&D have been built on the innovation, ingenuity, and hard work of talented people who sculpt these beautiful, creative games. As such, we require artists, writers, and creatives contributing to the Magic TCG and the D&D TTRPG to refrain from using AI generative tools to create final Magic or D&D products.”
Wizards of the Coast
Based on Cocks’ speech, Hasbro has been going against this statement for some time with their AI work on D&D. Even worse, his statements leave the door wide open for the same thing to happen in Magic. This could be a difference in direction between WotC and the higher-ups at Hasbro. Alternatively, it could be a communications misstep in a longer strategy.
Right now, AI is not palatable to much of Magic’s audience. The idea of using tech to generate the art or story of a game dearly beloved by so many is unacceptable for the most part. That said, public perception may shift over time, and that could be what Hasbro is banking on. Publicly breaking previous promises with regard to the technology is unlikely to achieve that, however.
Overall, these statements are a bad look for both Hasbro and WotC. Based on past precedent, I’d expect some kind of retraction or new AI policy to be revealed in the next few days. However, if they really are going all-in on AI now, we may not see either.
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