Nintendo’s upcoming Mario Kart World has become the center of controversy after fans speculated that some peculiar in-game imagery was created using generative AI. The unusual visuals—including a billboard featuring a physically impossible car with elongated windows and tiny chassis—exemplify the kind of proportional errors commonly associated with AI-generated content. This incident highlights growing tensions around AI use in game development as major studios navigate the technology’s benefits and pitfalls.
The official response: Nintendo has categorically denied using AI-generated imagery in the development of its Switch 2 launch title.
- “AI-generated images were not used in the development of Mario Kart World,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Eurogamer, addressing the social media speculation that followed a recent official livestream.
- Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa had previously expressed reluctance about employing generative AI in future titles during a 2024 investor Q&A, citing potential intellectual property complications.
Industry context: AI integration in AAA game development is becoming increasingly common despite mixed reactions from players.
- Activision recently confirmed using generative AI for visual assets in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone—a decision that sparked controversy after players discovered a six-fingered zombie Santa character in loading screens.
- The technology has already found applications in game development beyond visuals, including voiceover work in the Polish version of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and dialogue writing across various titles.
Why this matters: The Mario Kart controversy emerges at a particularly sensitive time for Nintendo and the gaming industry.
- Mario Kart World is set to launch on June 5, 2025, as a flagship title for the Nintendo Switch 2 console, making any potential controversy especially significant.
- The game will retail at an unprecedented $80, one of the highest base prices ever for a new video game release, which has already put extra scrutiny on its development quality.
Behind the graphics: Generative AI’s current limitations explain why gamers are quick to spot potential AI-created content.
- While capable of producing photorealistic images, today’s AI systems frequently create visual anomalies like distorted proportions—similar to the unusual car billboard that triggered the Mario Kart speculation.
- These distinctive errors have become recognizable calling cards that sharp-eyed gamers use to identify potential AI-generated content in their games.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...