Nintendo of America announced new merchandise to be sold at their official U.S. store starting February 19, 2026. However, the promotional images released by the company have drawn criticism, with some suggesting they may utilize generative AI. In response, Nintendo has issued a statement denying these claims.
The company is launching a children’s product line themed around characters from the “Super Mario” series, dubbed “MY MARIO.” This series has been available in Japan since August 2025 and will be introduced to international markets, including sales at Nintendo’s official locations in New York and San Francisco.
Concerns arose regarding the promotional images, particularly one depicting a woman holding a Mario plushie, where her thumb appears unnaturally bent. Other images featuring a woman with a tablet show her fingers looking disproportionately long, contributing to a general sense of unease.
Many users responded to the images, questioning whether the oddities were merely the result of poor photography or indicative of AI involvement. Amid the speculation, model Brittoni O’myah Sinclair took to Instagram to clarify she is one of the models featured in the photos and assured followers that the images were not AI-generated.
Additionally, the official account of the AI evaluation tool “Hive” reacted on X, testing the images with their software. Despite results indicating a 24% chance that Sinclair’s photo could have been augmented with deepfake technology, all other images reported a very low likelihood of AI involvement, thereby providing support for Nintendo’s claim.
Comments Section Highlights:
- “Promotional images can be AI-generated, can’t they?”
- “I’ve never seen fingers like that—I’d love to see the real-life moves!”
- “With a little finger photograph, doubt could easily be resolved.”
- “Photos can turn out strange—AI probably learns from that too.”
- “If they hired real models, what’s the issue?”
- “Why is there this stigma against using AI? It’s not inherently bad.”
- “It’s time to define what the actual issues are regarding AI.”
- “Generative AI struggles with depicting fingers accurately; that’s often a giveaway.”
Overall,” the conversation reflects a mix of disbelief and curiosity regarding AI’s role in image creation, with some pushing back against the negative perceptions of AI-generated content.
