An AI-powered copyright tool is being used to remove AI-generated images of Nintendo characters such as Mario from the internet.
This is stated in a report by The edgewhose own reporter Tom Warren received a takedown notice for his AI-generated artwork, which depicted Mario sitting on a beach with a cigarette in one hand and a steaming pint of beer (not sure why) in the other.
The publication said a company called Tracer has been filing these takedown notices against AI images featuring Nintendo's mustachioed plumber and his friends, including those made using xAI. Grok artificial intelligence tool.
According Tracer WebsiteThe company uses “human-powered artificial intelligence and machine learning to dramatically shorten the time from detection to enforcement by intelligently automating the review process and automatically offering a law enforcement recommendation.”
While the Nintendo-related artwork from The Verge has been removed, a Halo-inspired image showing the Xbox Master Chief playing with a PlayStation 5 has remained (see post below). Meanwhile, another affected account which generated an image of Luigi as an IDF soldier using the Grok AI tool, also said its content has been removed from the internet.
At the time of writing this, I also came across a clearly AI-generated image of Mario in possession of drugs still in X, so the AI tool hasn't removed all the images.
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It's currently unclear whether Tracer is following instructions from Nintendo, though the Mario creator is known for protecting his property. He recently announced that he will be suing Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement.
However, perhaps an unexpected side effect of this AI purge by an AI tool is that fanart has reportedly been removed from social media accounts as well. “Apparently, drawings of Nintendo characters [is] “copyright violation,” shared one User Xwith an image of their own takedown notice.
Neither Nintendo nor Tracer have yet commented on these takedown notices, though Eurogamer has reached out for more information.
AI remains a hot topic in the gaming industry, with many concerned about its impact on the sector. Earlier this year, Square Enix admitted it had “tested” AI technology for Foamstars, while Ubisoft unveiled AI-powered scriptwriting aid in 2023. More recently, a report from Unity claimed that 62 percent of studios use AI at some point during a game’s development, with animation being the top use case.
To find out more, our Ed spoke to AI expert Dr. Tommy Thompson about the technology and how it's changing game development forever.