In defense of placeholder assets: why generative AI accidentally appears in so many games

Several recent games have admitted that generative AI was used during development and some developers apologized for AI assets in final releases.

Developers often explain spotted AI assets as placeholders that were not meant to ship, a claim critics find questionable given placeholder practices.

Industry figures and examples, including Josh Sawyer and Pentiment, show placeholders sometimes ship, but AI assets prompt stronger backlash than crude placeholder art.