In a recent development, the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game franchise has moved to block artists from using artificial intelligence technology in its imaginative portrayals of fantasy characters and settings. The Associated Press is reporting that D&D Beyond--a subsidiary of Hasbro and a creator of online tools and companion content for the franchise--was unaware until this past weekend that one of its longtime illustrators had used AI to create commissioned artwork for an upcoming book.

In response, the franchise is taking action to address the situation and establish clear guidelines for its artists. "He will not use AI for Wizards' work moving forward," stated a post from D&D Beyond's account on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We are revising our process and updating our artist guidelines to make clear that artists must refrain from using AI art generation as part of their art creation process for developing D&D."

AI-generated art often exhibits telltale glitches, such as distorted limbs, which caught the attention of skeptical D&D enthusiasts. As of this writing, neither Hasbro nor Wizards of the Coast has provided additional comments on the matter. Hasbro acquired D&D Beyond for $146.3 million last year, having already owned Wizards of the Coast for over two decades.