Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said generative AI is not currently in use for both Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. Speaking on Verge’s Decoder podcast, Cocks stated, “There are some brands that the audience, the creators, just don’t want it.” He confirmed that neither franchise has AI in their creative pipelines, including for video games.
This marks a sharp pivot from late 2024, when Cocks called AI integration in D&D “inevitable.” Now, he’s blunt: “It’s humans who inspire the good ideas and follow through on them.” The move comes after both brands faced fierce backlash over AI-generated art and marketing materials. Players and creators pushed back hard, demanding human creativity stay at the core.
Why players demanded a ban
The anti-AI stance didn’t appear out of nowhere. In summer 2023, fans discovered that several pieces of art in the D&D sourcebook Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants were partially AI-generated. The controversy forced Wizards of the Coast to reprint the book with new, human-made art and implement strict anti-AI guidelines for D&D creatives.
Not long after, Magic: The Gathering adopted similar rules. But the company stumbled again: marketing art for the Ravnica Remastered set was revealed to include generative AI elements, despite initial claims it was all human-made. The backlash was swift, and Wizards issued a public apology.
What this means for players and creators
For fans, this is a win for authenticity. You can expect future D&D books and Magic cards to be crafted by actual artists and writers, not machine learning models. The move also reassures freelance creatives who rely on these franchises for work-no AI-generated competition in the official pipeline.
For now, the ban covers all official products, including video games tied to the brands. Cocks admits he still uses AI tools in his own home games, but says “it’ll be staying out of Wizards’ products themselves for a good while yet.”
The bottom line
- Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons will not use generative AI in art, writing, or marketing.
- Official guidelines are in place after multiple fan-led backlashes and public missteps.
- Players and freelance creatives keep a human-first space in two of gaming’s biggest franchises.