Pokémon Card Contest Disqualifies Fans For Allegedly Using AI Art

The Pokémon Company holds regular illustration contests for fans to submit their artwork to possibly be used as official art for Pokémon trading cards, more recently made available to artists in the U.S. However, the company’s 2024 competition has had a new, not-so-fun wrinkle of controversy as AI-generated art has weaseled its way into the top 300 entries, and fans are not too happy that it passed through the company’s vetting process undetected. Now, the company has put out a statement that it’s disqualifying entries that violate its contest rules.

It all began on June 14 when The Pokémon Company posted the top 300 entries. Fans took notice of what appeared to be one AI-using participant using multiple names to submit more pieces than the three-submission limit.

As word spread, fans started making a ruckus online, raking the alleged AI art over the coals while criticizing The Pokémon Company for letting it get into the top 300, taking up spots from real artists who also entered the contest.

After 11 days, The Pokémon Company released a statement confirming that some entries “violated the official contest rules” and have been disqualified. The statement stops short of specifying what rules were broken or naming anyone that will be removed from the top 300, but says that other submitted entries will be added to the top 300 finalists to replace those disqualified. As of this writing, several of the pieces fans accused of being AI still appear on the contest’s website. The full statement reads as follows:

“We are aware that select entrants from the top 300 finalists of the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest 2024 have violated the official contest rules. As a result, entrants in violation of the rules have been disqualified from the contest. Furthermore, additional artists participating in the contest will soon be selected to be among the top 300 finalists. We’re committed to upholding the integrity of the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest and appreciate fans’ continued support as we celebrate the artistic abilities of the talented Pokémon community.”

The use of AI art has been encroaching on pretty much every creative medium of late, from video games to trading card games. Big companies are leaning on AI-generated art as a cost-cutting measure so they don’t have to pay actual artists, and now we have AI users taking spots away from actual artists in Pokémon TCG contests. It’s always a good idea when looking at art in such circumstances to be vigilant, look for clear non-human errors, and if you’re unsure, try an AI art detector.

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