Nintendo and I Finally Agree on Something, and It's That AI Sucks
In a development that has me checking to see if the sky is falling, Nintendo, the company that sues fan projects into oblivion, might actually be doing something good.
Just when you thought every major corporation was ready to dive head-first into the soulless, content-churning maw of generative AI, a surprising player has entered the resistance. According to a recent post by Japanese politician Asano Satoshi, Nintendo is not only avoiding the use of generative AI but is actively lobbying the Japanese government for what we can only assume are stricter regulations.
Don't Get It Twisted, It's About the Money
Now, before you start thinking Nintendo has suddenly grown a heart and is fighting for the starving artists of the world, let's be painfully honest. This isn't some altruistic crusade for the soul of creativity. This is about protecting their golden geese: Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon.
Nintendo is a company that will patent the very idea of summoning a monster to fight another monster just to protect its turf. They see a future where AI-generated slop dilutes their multi-billion dollar brands, and they're moving to shut that down before it even starts. It's pure, uncut corporate self-preservation.
A War on All Fronts
Nintendo's move, while selfish, isn't happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a growing global backlash against the tech bros' "scrape everything and ask questions later" mentality. We're already seeing major lawsuits, from the New York Times suing OpenAI to Getty Images going after Stability AI.
Even in the gaming world, the battle lines are being drawn. While some companies are gleefully replacing writers with tools like Ubisoft's Ghostwriter, others are already facing legal challenges, like the lawsuit over an alleged AI-cloned Lara Croft voice. Nintendo is just one of the first titans to bring the fight to the political arena.
The Devil You Know
It feels deeply weird to be rooting for Nintendo on this. This is the same company that sends cease-and-desist letters to fan-made passion projects and DMCA's videos of their game soundtracks on YouTube. They are, by almost every measure, one of the most litigious and controlling publishers on the planet.
But in the fight against a future filled with automated, soulless content farms, the notoriously aggressive devil we know is better than the AI devil we don't. While Nintendo's motives are entirely about protecting their own bottom line, the potential outcome: pushing for regulations that could protect human creators, is an positive for everyone.
So, no, don't start thinking Nintendo is your best friend. They're just protecting their turf. But for once, their corporate interests happen to align with the interests of actual human artists. And in 2025, that's about the best we can hope for.