Pokémon Trading Cards have some of the best art with these fictional creatures ever seen, so seeing some artists try to cheat their way to TCG fame is disappointing. In an illustration contest, 300 fans were disqualified for seemingly using AI for their art, though that reason is never explicitly said.
The Pokémon Company released a statement about this on Twitter, confirming that over 300 contestants have been disqualified for violating their rules. Although AI wasn’t mentioned by the company, numerous fans did call out these contestants and that may have led to an investigation.
It’s really disappointing to see someone try and win a contest like this with AI art, given how beautiful some of these cards have been over the years. Fans can take comfort in the fact that these cheaters were caught, though it’s still annoying that they even made it this far into the competition.
AI continues to be a problematic element in the art world, with may corporations attempting to use the technology for cheaper costs. While AI can make the jobs of artists easier, making them a positive force in the art world, too many people use the technology to steal art and that’s not acceptable.
For those unaware, this Pokémon TCG contest gives the winner $5000 and their art will be featured in an official trading card. Many talented artists would kill to have their drawings shown off in this iconic piece of merchandise, so the fact that an AI artist could have won this is worrisome. While we do wish that this would be a rare occurrence, we wouldn’t be too surprised if more people tried this out in future contests.
More fans will be able to appreciate the real art of these cards soon, when the Pokémon TCG Pocket app releases later this year. Letting fans battle and trade with virtual cards, this might be a great way to get more players into this hobby.