The ID@Xbox program has been growing for years now, with an indie-focused team over at Microsoft using it to build relationships with developers and bring their games to Xbox and at times, Game Pass too. However, a now-deleted Christmas post from Team Green didn't do much to help public perception of Xbox and its indie program this week.
To put it simply, Xbox posted a Christmas message out to its social channels containing AI-generated art. The post was honest enough, but the accompanying image spoiled the team's message - and it was quickly deleted by the folks over at Xbox.
Here's what the image looked like before it was pulled:
Okay, so, maybe it was an honest mistake and the art wasn't supposed to be used in the first place - hence its removal. However, it's much more likely that Xbox quickly reacted to the poor reception this post had received in just a few hours. Here are some of the fan reactions to the AI image on Twitter:
We agree that it's not a great look for Microsoft to use AI art in any fashion to promote Xbox - let alone the team's indie program that supposedly does its best to showcase the most talented small developers in the industry. We sincerely hope that Xbox has learnt its lesson here, and that we don't see any more of this sort of thing crop up in future.
What do you make of this post and its community reaction? Comment down below.
Comments 39
Microsoft are at the forefront of this technology, and you can be sure they will push it wherever they can.
I have my own thoughts as to its suitability being used this way, but Im pretty sure this is the beggining of this conversation, not the end.
Probably made by some well intentioned intern with little/no time who thought it would be a nice gesture to shoutout Indies and the ID@Xbox.
It's only when you zoom in and/or look closely, you can see where the 'art' fails but overall at face value, it looks OK.
Why would you spend 100's if not more on creating a 'twitter' post image? It doesn't make sense to commission 'artists' to create bespoke images for a 'free' post that literally serves no purpose other than to add some more 'pop' to the message.
Whether or not MS can afford to commission bespoke art for a twitter post is not the point. You don't want Companies wasting money on throwaway stuff and would rather keep their costs down so that they don't pass unnecessary expenditure down to the Customers...
Oh the humanity.
Actually hang on a sec...
There are literally so many more uses of AI generated art to be angry over than a twitter post that nobody will remember next week.
@BAMozzy as a designer myself I can see that what you're saying is probably the case. I work for a large company as well and I have a feeling that I have sold my soul as a designer. Everything has to be done fast instead of giving it some attention to create special en memorabele details. All of that extra is fine unless it costs time. And when I design something unique it gets changed by so many divisions within the company that my design eventually turns in to a mediocre, bland, "minimalistic/modern" forgettable thing.
Sorry for my rant but I hope it gives people some more insight how a lot of big brands handle their social media.
Warwick wrote:
Ah the Internet. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.
AI is coming regardless if you support it or not.
It’s just the way business works.
Yes. They should apologize for using the tech they are spending billions on to push.
What.
It doesn’t even look bad
@SoulChimera word, stay safe out there dawg.
The image doesn't even look that bad at face value 😭
I'm a massive sourpuss and will moan about pretty much anything, but even I'm struggling to see what there is to get bent out of shape about here.
the way xbox developers are preforming, i bet xbox bosses can't wait to replace them with a.i.
I’m the first to say if something needs calling out.
This is not it.
What a nonsense.
If you are spending that much time zooming in on a throwaway Twitter post to figure out if it's AI created or not and then express your "outrage" on the same platform, I think you should readjust your priorities.
The key to artificial intelligence, they key to success is developers 👏 profits, 👏, developers, 👏, profits, developers 👏👏👏......yes!
People get mad at the dumbest things. The image was fine for what it was, a simple ID@Xbox ad on Twitter. Using AI is fine. Nothing to see here.
I like that xbox responds to feedback but they should realize that they will never please everyone. Sometimes it feels like they don't have a spine and are always in delete/apologize mode. Cases like this it just makes you seem weaker instead of doing "the right thing."
"Now to wait for an apology." I laughed out loud when i saw this. The amount of entitlement and outrage over the literal dumbest stuff in the world has now reached a new low.
Blade said it best when Karen Jenson remarked, "You used me as bait?"
"GET OVER IT," Blade said.
Its simple. If it offends you then don't buy MS products, if you aren't that bothered then do. No need to bother complaining about it in my book.
Ok this is a bit silly. I don’t like AI generated art as much as the next person. But I’m more alarmed by the outrage from these indie game enthusiasts… I mean, chill out. That one guy sounded like the worst game activist you’d never want to meet, so he couldn’t proceed to tell you you’re a bad person for buying anything made on a AAA budget…
It shouldn’t have been done, but it doesn’t actually matter in this context. As AI grows, it’s gonna become more commonplace and most likely harder to tell what’s generated and what isn’t. And that is scary for sure, but this seems like just a bad call to me.
The traction this is being given is crazy. Look at those tweets, 19, 2, 5, and 66 likes. This didn't take off on its own, it's being manufactured. Game websites are trying to make this a thing. It's like when a handful of people get mad about a movie being 'woke' and that gets blown up by a bunch of liberal people 'fighting back.'
As for AI art, it's technology. No one cared when technological advancements put tons of people out of work in manufacturing, so spare me the outrage now that it's "creatives" jobs that are at risk.
On another thought.
Could Xbox win? Imagine the ‘outrage’ had MS got their staff in over the Xmas period to hand design these things!
They had plenty of time to see the poor reception of other businesses, such as Disney, using AI generated art.
They knew exactly what they were doing.
For whatever reason they thought they'd get a pass though despite their current, overall, poor standing, with most.
You have to remember that media is under attack by AI so they will be all over this story… it’s all fun and games until AI comes after your job. That said when I am out of work I can work on my backlog…
@Gollum
https://youtu.be/XxbJw8PrIkc?si=PdepAWFN-q5zUkEJ
@AccessibleDaydream 🤣, I was bored, loosing my head whilst not at work, I ended up going down the rabbit hole watching ("Steve Ballmer Developers Music Video" on YouTube)
I'm no lover of the push for AI taking over everything but as usual the reaction from Twitter morons is over the top and ridiculous.
I don't see an issue with them using AI art.
Cleary some people online have made a mountain out of a molehill. There is really no issue here at all as even some of their paid art looks pretty generic. I hope MS don't apologise because they have done nothing wrong. If anyone has a problem with this they need to go and touch some snow.
Before reading the article I was thinking the image was some sort of horrific stereotypical display. Nope, just Karen's/Chad's pissed that they used AI instead of a human? 🙄🙄🙄
Microsoft's use of AI to create an image for Twitter raises valid concerns regarding the potential ethical implications and the need for responsible AI development. By relying solely on AI-generated images, the authenticity and integrity of content can be compromised, leading to misinformation and the erasure of human creativity and expertise. It is crucial to prioritize transparency, accountability, and human involvement in the development and use of AI, rather than solely relying on automated processes that may not fully comprehend the nuanced complexities of human experiences.
i used https://deepai.org/chat/text-generator to create the previous post...
"can you suggest some text to use for a rant about how AI should NOT have been used by Microsoft to create an image to use on twitter"
"that was great, can you specify the impact on real artists though?"
Certainly! The use of AI-generated images by Microsoft on Twitter could have a significant impact on real artists. By relying on AI for image creation, it diminishes the value and recognition of the artistic skills, expertise, and creative efforts of human artists. This could potentially lead to marginalized opportunities for real artists, as their unique abilities are overshadowed by AI's convenience and accessibility. The authenticity and human touch that real artists bring to their work may be undervalued or even disregarded, creating challenges in maintaining a thriving artistic ecosystem. It is essential to balance technological advancements with the preservation and appreciation of human creativity and expertise.
I promise this is the last post on this, I've got carried away, sorry.
more AiChat stuff
could you write a limerick for me about how AI should NOT have been used by microsoft to create an image to use on twitter, and how it may have affected real artists?
In Microsoft's bid for Twitter fame,
AI-generated art came, oh what a shame!
Real artists now wary,
Their work seemed secondary,
For their craft, respect should claim.
Uh are any of these people talking about what indie games they are gonna buy? Want to support people, buy the games instead of getting mad at the company advertising the games.
Nothing to see here folks. Keep it moving
Glad to see people finally be vocal about Microsoft's use of AI on social media posts and whatnot. They've been using i for a while, it's really easy to spot.
Ah here it's not like they killed someone who cares what's the point of creating Ai but not using it? Plus no matter who makes the picture it's probably gonna be the same thing nothing really to the picture it's not like it's a blockbuster movie poster created by Ai there are a lot worse things happening in the world right now to be upset over this honestly I'd double down a create loads more of these with Ai just to see if I'm treated like a Nazi
They have more than enough money to pay an artist.
@BAMozzy
The problem is that with all corporate penny pinching it doesn’t stop at the stuff that ,according to you, doesn’t matter. How long do you think it will be until somebody in charge ,at MS or elsewhere, sees the savings the advertising department is making and applies that same “Real artists are too expensive” philosophy to game development? All that matters is do it as cheap as you can while not paying anyone what they are worth. Of course that is until the eventual lawsuits come in for the sometimes copyright infringing art your AI stole off the internet. If it’s worth doing it’s worth paying a human being to do it right. In this case right means neither stolen or ugly as sin. Or as the wise old saying goes YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
@NobleWarrior I couldn't care less who writes, voices or creates the Games I enjoy and if AI can do the job, then I couldn't care less. Why pay some over-priced 'hollywood' star for their 'likeness' or their 'Voice' when another person could have done the same job? They pay it because it acts as Marketing and Hype but at the end of the day, doesn't really change the game.
If AI doesn't do a 'good' job, then you won't buy the game. The fact that a 'human' these days is relying on AI to build more realistic worlds. It's AI that drives a lot of the placement of bushes, trees etc in the Landscape today - the tree's aren't 'handcrafted', individually placed etc - a Lot of it is AI.
Cortana is 'AI' so why not have an AI voice it for example or why not use AI to upscale or AI to fill in a LOT of the space between 'Human' created areas. UE5 has a lot of AI potential that 'help' humans create the games we play today ANYWAY.
Might as well go back to the 'dark ages' before automation came in and 'replaced' a LOT of the Human manual labourers - those who used to work on Farms now replaced by tractors and automated milking parlours so you get your Farm produce at a low cost - not paying a fortune for 'milk' because of all the Staff required to get your pint...
To me these 'Artists, writers' etc complaining about AI is no different from all those farm labourers who were complaining that automation would replace them too...
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