Kobold Press Issues “No AI Pledge” for Art and Game Design
In a recent blog post titled “State of Play: Kobold Press Issues the No AI Pledge,” Kobold Press CEO Wolfgang Baur outlined the company’s position on the use of AI in tabletop game development. The publisher has made it clear that they will not use generative AI for art or game design, emphasizing their commitment to human creativity. This comes after Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks stated in an interview with Goldman Sachs last week that Dungeons and Dragons will embrace AI.
Baur explained that Kobold Press’s policy is straightforward: no AI-generated art or text is used in their products. This approach, which has been in place since 2022, is based on concerns about the ethics of AI tools, particularly those trained on copyrighted materials without proper consent from creators. Kobold Press believes that relying on human artists and designers is key to maintaining the quality and originality of their games.
Art director Marc Radle and the Kobold Press creative team continue to work with artists and cartographers to produce all visuals for their publications. The team values the talent and vision of these professionals and has chosen to avoid AI-generated content, ensuring that all the maps, creatures, and artwork featured in their game books are created by humans.
The company’s stance also extends to game design. Baur emphasized that the heart of tabletop roleplaying games lies in the interaction between players, game masters, and the stories they create together. Kobold Press believes that AI-generated content does not enhance this experience and instead focuses on tools that empower players and game masters to develop their own stories.
Kobold Press remains committed to producing human-generated content for their games, with no plans to incorporate AI in the future. They encourage those who support their position to sign in support of the pledge.
