As public perception of AI sours, crowdfunding platforms scramble

As the use of generative artificial intelligence in tabletop proliferates, there appears to be a rapidly growing divide between consumers and creators regarding its ethical implementation. Simultaneously, there are key differences between how the three major crowdfunding platforms — specifically BackerKit, Gamefound, and Kickstarter — treat the technology. A recent project, a card game called Draconis 8, presents a curious example of how the hot-button issue is being handled.

Wise Wizard Games’ Draconis 8 Kickstarter campaign raised $120,000 from just under 1,200 backers this October. In an interview with BoardGameWire, Wise Wizard CEO Rob Dougherty and Draconis 8 lead artist Antonis Papantoniou defended their use of AI as a “collaborative tool” in the artistic process that allowed them to pay one artist to make hundreds of cards. Dougherty and Papantonious cited the campaign’s transparent and detailed statements of its AI use as evidence of what they believe to be an ethical approach.

While the ethics of this technology’s ecological and social impact are debated, use of the technology comes with repeated controversy. This instance of AI-assisted art from the company that made the award-winning Star Realms deck-building game has caused some to take to social media in disappointment and frustration. A few fans of the company state they won’t purchase another game by Wise Wizard, with at least one store stating it will no longer be stocking the company’s products. This anti-AI sentiment is not unanimous, however. Projects like Wonders of the First, Grimcoven, and Terraforming Mars still raised millions of dollars from thousands of backers as recently as June of this year — giving crowdfunding platforms an incentive to keep AI projects on the site, as long as the money is still there.

Kickstarter’s AI policy allows for projects to use generative AI tools as long as they are disclosed. While some projects have explicit “human-made” statements on their platform, and the rare few like Draconis 8 have detailed explanations of their AI use, other projects, such as the canceled Legends Odyssey TCG, which uses AI in a similar format to Draconis 8, relegate any mention of AI to the frequently asked questions section. Many projects on Kickstarter have no statement regarding the technology at all.

Notably, while Draconis 8 was funded on Kickstarter, the game will be fulfilled by BackerKit — seemingly in contradiction with the platform’s outright AI ban. When asked about this discrepancy, BackerKit CEO Rosanna Yau stated, “BackerKit’s AI policy, outlined in our Crowdfunding Rules, is tailored specifically to the BackerKit crowdfunding platform.” The policy prohibits content created solely by generative AI in crowdfunding projects, which is reviewed and enforced by BackerKit staff. “For other BackerKit services, such as pledge management, which primarily function as tools for data organization and fulfillment, our AI policy does not apply in the same way.” Crowdfunding platform Gamefound has a similarly vague relationship to generative AI. In an email to Polygon, a spokesperson for Gamefound said it encourages transparency from creators, but that the company was “considering introducing a policy that would require the disclosure of AI usage in projects in a more standardized manner.”

These statements give an indication of what the future of these sites might look like as generative AI grows more powerful and less popular. As this social rejection continues, some see signs that the AI bubble may be primed to burst, and pro-AI developers are likely to work around the already light guardrails these platforms have in place to get while the getting is still good.