A lot of major game publishers have been sparking up AI controversies recently, and PlayStation is the latest to join the conversation. While the company didn't make any sweeping statements about AI usage or insert generative AI into a new game release, it did drop a few PS5 avatars of highly suspicious origin. Now, PlayStation has quietly replaced them with more palatable profile pictures.
ResetEra user J-Soul called out the initial AI usage, posting a set of avatar rewards from a new PlayStation advent calendar that bore trademark indicators of generative AI involvement. Reddit user FoFo1300 shared an update that upcoming calendar rewards have been replaced, with phone wallpapers appearing in lieu of planned AI-generated avatars.
If there was any doubt that the original avatars were AI-generated, PlayStation's removal of the rewards would presumably put it to rest. Even at a glance, though, there's really no denying it. The AI sheen isn't subtle, to say nothing of the gibberish script emulating Japanese or Chinese characters in the background of one cyberpunk profile picture.
The AI avatars aren't necessarily omens of more extensive generative AI from PlayStation, as the advent calendar was presumably courtesy of a...
