The mass return of players to Animal Crossing: New Horizons following Jan. 15’s 3.0 update has brought a new influx of design sharing online — and, with it, an epidemic of AI slop. Though many of the aesthetic designs being shared online are devoid of AI, a recent trend has emerged where players utilize AI programs like Gemini to change lighting effects and other visuals within screenshots, and the community at large is not pleased.
Design has always been a core focus for many New Horizons fans. At the height of its popularity, the internet was filled with players sharing their home and island builds, often following aesthetic trends like cottagecore and citycore. Editing these screenshots to achieve things like warmer hues was a frequent occurrence, but never seen as a problem within the community, as it was still fan-made. One of the biggest features in the 3.0 updates is a new dockside hotel, where players can decorate rooms for guests. This, paired with a slew of new items, has led many players to return to aesthetic Animal Crossing edits.
AI usage became noticeable recently, with X user Cozyberru sharing a post on Jan. 25 saying, “I think it’s time we talk about the AI use in Animal Crossing aesthetic posts that are trending,” alongside several examples illustrating the claim. In a reply, the user points out that numbers within images, such as on clocks or scales, are a telltale sign that a player has utilized AI in their photos. Replies and quotes of the post are almost unanimously negative: “GET THIS AI SHIT OFF MY TL NOW !!!” one user wrote; “It’s crazy how much the games about creativity and expressing yourself attract the AI crowd,” another user said.
Though the ethical ramifications of utilizing AI are certainly one of the biggest issues players have with this troubling new trend, the community has criticized it for several reasons beyond that. Some bring up the fact that it’s not difficult to make these aesthetic changes without the use of AI — presets for programs like Lightroom can easily be found online, or players could simply tweak things like lighting themselves. Others feel it inherently diminishes the charm of the designs, as the cartoonish visuals of New Horizons are a hallmark of the game. The realism of the edits has even led some fans to say they thought the screenshots were of The Sims 4 at first, not New Horizons.
Perhaps the biggest issue, though, aside from the gallons of water being wasted in the name of aesthetics, is that many creators are not disclosing their usage of AI in these edits, or trying to brush it off as simply following a trend. Several of the most popular posts from creators featuring realistic-style AI editing treat it just like any other image shared on the account, and conveniently have only responded to comments praising their work, but none of the inquiries about how the edits were made. If you’re going to post AI slop, at least be honest about it.
