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Paizo Stands Against AI-Generated Content

The Pathfinder creator will not allow creators to submit work that was not created by a human

Paizo, the company behind Pathfinder, is taking a stand against generative AI. Since its 2002 launch, the tabletop game company has worked with various traditional writers and artists, which it claims have been integral to its success.

“The ethical and legal issues surrounding “AI art” and writing prompt programs—and the serious threat they pose to the livelihoods of partners who have helped us get to where we are today as a company—demand that we take a firm position against the use of this technology in Paizo products,” writes Paizo in a blog post.

According to the blog post, the creators of Pathfinder want to ensure the public that any products they purchase from the company will not include anything created by generative AIs in the foreseeable future.

“Our customers expect a human touch to our releases, and so long as the ethical and legal circumstances surrounding these programs remain murky and undefined, we are unwilling to associate our brands with the technology in any way,” Paizo adds.

The company is revising its creative contracts to ensure that creatives do not submit AI-generated work. Contracts will now state that a human must create all submitted work.

Artists Praise Paizo’s Decision

Artists and writers fear for their jobs as generative AIs become more and more capable, and for good reason. Already companies are utilising AIs for creative work rather than humans. Recently, Netflix Japan released a short anime that features background images that were generated by an AI. Therefore, many creatives are appreciative of Paizo’s stance.

“Thank you. Artists and authors work so hard to make so proportionately little already, and Paizo owes so much of what it has become to its in-house and freelance creative teams,” writes one user in the comments. “It would be wrong to abandon the people whose skill and imagination made Path/Starfinder possible during this unprecedented stage of technological development.”

However, others fear that by taking such a stance, Paizo may be fighting a losing battle. One fan of the company compares taking a stance against generative AI to battling the ocean.

“While I understand the reason and support the idea behind it, I can’t help but feel this is a bit like trying to fight the ocean,” writes the fan. “AI image generation has gone from producing abstract approximations of people and landscapes to producing things that look incredibly authentic and detailed, it can emulate different mediums, art styles, and subject matters, and all this progress was made in the span of like… 3ish years? This isn’t going to slow down or go away; we cannot just put this back in the box. As much as it hurts and I am loath to say it, I honestly expect that the freelance artist as a career path will likely not survive the decade.”

Written By

Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.

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