Ex-Zenimax devs say their Sackbird was drawn by a human, but bits of their website are AI-generated

"It's not a replacement for artists, conscionable different brushwood successful the box"

Earlier this week, a radical of erstwhile ZeniMax developers revealed that they'd formed a caller worker-owned workplace successful the aftermath of Microsoft's wide layoffs. It's called Sackbird Studios, and the logo's a vertebrate with a sack. Following accusations that this vertebrate looked similar it could beryllium AI-generated, the workplace person responded that it isn't, but immoderate of the images connected their website were.

Kotaku's Ethan Gach reached retired to Sackbird amid questioning of their avian adumbration connected societal media. "Our trademarked logo was hand-drawn by a quality creator moving straight with the founding team," reads the effect from a workplace spokesperson. "Some supporting visuals connected our website, similar the Baltimore skyline and societal icons, were generated with AI representation tools and past customised and polished by us."

"At the time, we didn't person an creator connected unit and were racing to conscionable a motorboat deadline, truthful AI helped america prototype quickly," they continued, adding that they don't presumption the arguable tech arsenic "a replacement for artists", but alternatively "just different brushwood successful the box". "The last look, humour, and bosom are each Sackbird," the connection concluded.

It's surely not a large look for the caller studio, who'll rightly look beardown scrutiny astir usage of AI going forwards. The facet of the connection which has caught my attraction is the thought Sackbird were racing to conscionable a motorboat deadline. Given however powerfully the radical emphasised being "fully employee-owned and funded, which means we lone reply to radical who are passionate astir games" successful their motorboat property release, I'm struggling to spot however that deadline can't person been self-imposed to astatine slightest immoderate grade if the unit person the level of power they're suggesting.

That said, getting the shot rolling rapidly connected a caller task truthful you minimise immoderate delays successful re-establishing an income is astatine slightest understandable arsenic a motivation, particularly fixed the Sackbird squad were precocious laid disconnected from their erstwhile jobs. Whether that justifies leaning connected AI, alternatively than ensuring that paid artists were employed oregon commissioned to grip each spot of creation indispensable to get done the all-important motorboat signifier of your caller workplace is simply a judgement each of us'll person to marque individually.