Pax Romana AI Art Controversy

A well reviewed game with great strategy Anno 117: Pax Romana was caught using AI-generated art, and developer Ubisoft has officially commented on the matter. Anno 117: Pax Romana is a continuation of 2019 Year 1800which has been praised – among other things – for its impressive hand-drawn artwork.

Perhaps it is because of this revered work of art Anno 117Fans especially noticed the use of generative artificial intelligence. Since the game's launch on November 13, players have pointed out several distinguishing features of AI-generated images in the background and loading screens. These paintings, which are often meant as vivid, impressionistic depictions Anno 117The Ancient Rome setting features strange artifacts, facial and limb deformities, and other common gen-AI features. As it turns out, gamers were right to be suspicious, as Ubisoft confirmed and explained the use of at least one of the illustrations in question.

Like many other modern computer games, Anno 117The Steam site reveals the use of generative AI with a statement claiming that AI tools were used to create some game assets, but that “the final product reflects [Ubisoft Mainz’s] artisanal and creative vision.”

Ubisoft admits to using “Placeholder” AI Art in Anno 117: Pax Romana

Although a few pieces Anno 117While the in-game art has been called AI-generated, Ubisoft has only really responded to one of the culprits: a loading screen illustration of a crowd at a lavish banquet. This image contains what many consider to be dead giveaways for the AI generation, with background objects that are blurry, distorted faces, and bizarre physical proportions. As reported by TheGamer, Ubisoft responded with this statement:

“This image was a placeholder asset that inadvertently slipped through our review process. The final image is attached here and will replace the current version of this artwork with the upcoming 1.3 patch. Anno 117: Pax Romana as our most ambitious Anno yet, we've assembled the largest team of artists ever for the franchise, and to help deliver on the project's unique scope, they're using AI tools for iteration, prototyping and exploration. Every element players experience in the final game reflects the team's craft, artistry and creative vision.”

Ubisoft has since released a new image of the banquet, which appears to be devoid of basic gen-AI elements. At the time of writing this article Assassin's Creed the publisher has yet to comment on other illustrations that the public believes to be AI-generated and appear to still exist Anno 117.

This probably isn't the last time viewers will hear about AI art in relation to Anno 117. Ubisoft claims that the AI image was a placeholder that “slipped” through the review process, but it seems somewhat surprising that Ubisoft Mainz would overlook such an obvious mistake. After all, the players noticed that these are AI images almost immediately. The sequence of events certainly doesn't do the publisher-developer any favors, as it only fixed the illustration after viewers “caught” it, and the persistence of other seemingly AI-created images is likely to continue to spark debate.