A Fortnite artist has defended their work after community speculation that numerous images in the new season are AI-generated. Among the questioned items is a poster featuring a character in a hammock with an unusual number of toes.
Freelance artist Sean Dove recently addressed these claims on Instagram. Fans had suggested his Studio Ghibli-inspired poster of Back to the Future's Marty McFly was AI-created. Dove, a regular Fortnite collaborator, showcased his manual drawing process for the central character. However, he acknowledged that AI-generated elements might have unintentionally made their way into the background artwork.
"It seems someone on Reddit believes this was made with AI," Dove explained. "I suspect a clock in the background is the issue. I sourced several clock images from an online search, collaged them, and applied a halftone effect. The numerals look off, so it's entirely possible I used an AI-generated clock image without realizing."
no way they put ai ghibli style slop in the pass
byu/wmwl inFortNiteBR
While Dove has responded personally, Epic Games has not yet commented on the situation. Meanwhile, Reddit users continue to identify and discuss other in-game assets they believe show signs of AI generation. (IGN reached out to Epic Games for comment but did not receive a response.)
One of the most cited examples, according to players, is a poster for the "Mile High Retreat" location. The image depicts legs in a hammock, with one foot showing five toes and the other showing only four.
Is this Chapter 7 art AI generated?
byu/Thready704 inFortNiteBR
Another poster under scrutiny features the glassy-eyed Tomatohead character hosting "Sauce Talk," a Hollywood-style talk show. Discussions have also emerged around a mysterious song titled "Latata," slated for a future emote. While its origin is unclear, some speculate it may be stock music rather than AI-generated audio.
Amid the uncertainty and without official word from Epic, Fortnite players are actively pushing back against the perceived use of AI art. A large Reddit thread is dedicated to tracking every suspect image and searching for more examples.
"This is a terrible decision," one player commented. "I hope it gets corrected. As many have said, the game's unique art style is a major part of its appeal. Generative AI has no place here."
"I found the use of AI for Darth Vader's voice interesting, as it achieved something otherwise impossible," another fan noted. "But that's been the only truly compelling use case so far. Creating art is something humans—and especially a well-resourced company like Epic—are perfectly capable of doing."
Epic Games has prior experience with AI, having used generative speech technology to recreate James Earl Jones's portrayal of Darth Vader. Although done with Disney's rights and approval, this inclusion sparked controversy, particularly as players began making Vader say things aligned with the dark side.
Last week, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney suggested Valve should remove Steam's "AI Generated Content Disclosure" label. He argued that AI use will become so widespread that such warnings will be redundant. "Why stop at AI disclosure?" Sweeney posted on social media. "We could mandate disclosures for the developer's shampoo brand. Customers deserve to know, lol."
"It doesn't matter anymore," he continued. "An AI tag is relevant for art exhibits to disclose authorship, or for digital marketplaces where buyers need clarity on rights. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production."
Regarding AI artwork, recent Fortnite menus are filled with user-created experiences that use AI for their thumbnails. Epic has previously stated that policing this is increasingly futile, as the technology improves to a point where AI images are nearly indistinguishable from human-made art.
Ultimately, this situation highlights the growing challenge in 2025 of determining what is AI-generated and what is not.
