In a recent Twitter post,Pathfindercreator Paizo made its stance on AI-generated content known. According to Paizo,Pathfinderwill not be using any AI art or writing in its products in the future.Over the last several months, AI-generated art, writing, and other media have become increasingly more prevalent. While this upswing ofAI technology has led to some impressive marvels, it has also conjured some serious moral quandaries in creative industries, including tabletop role-playing games.RELATED:AI Makes Todd Howard Say Questionable Things About The Elder Scrolls 6Now, Paizo has made a statement about its opinion on AI technology in TTRPGs. Paizo asserted its success was built with the help of freelance artists and writers. It believes theadvent of AI content threatens these creators' livelihoods, and the currently-undefined legal and ethical lines surrounding the technology can do more harm than good. Because of this,Pathfinderwill be banning the use of AI-generated art and writing in its products, and Paizo will add new language in its contracts that stipulate all work must be created by a human being.
Paizo has had a lot of opportunities to take initiative in the news as of late. In January, Wizards of the Coast–Dungeons and Dragonscreator and a major competitor for Paizo–was in hot water over its attempts to deauthorize the Open Game License forOne D&D.Paizo took initiative and spearheaded the creation of the Open RPG Creative Licenseas a free document usable by any TTRPG company. Wizards of the Coast later backed down, but Paizo won a lot of points from the community for standing up to the larger company.
Pathfinderfans are glad to see Paizo take this stance against AI art and writing. As this new technology becomes more prevalent, many companies may rely on it to cut costs, harming artists and writers in the process. Paizo refusing to do so not only sets a precedent thatcompanies like Wizards of the Coast may be forced to followbut also helped assure its fans it made the right decision by trusting it to protect creators.
That said, even Paizo has its problems. Though Paizo has done artists a solid by standing against AI content, it has been notorious for paying low rates for freelance illustration. Unfortunately, Paizo’s low rates are technically about average for the industry, though much lower when compared to work outside the TTRPG circuit. Hopefully, through union action and community feedback, Paizo’s freelance rates can eventually reflect the care and consideration shown in its recent stance against AI content.
