AI paranoia prompts Urban Games to change character art

Generative AI has stirred a lot of complaints, from environmental costs to rising RAM demands, and it has left everyday viewers wary. When people see an image or a clip online they often find themselves asking whether it was made by a person or generated, and that suspicion has become common enough to spawn a subreddit asking, "Is this AI?" That culture of extra vigilance has influenced Transport Fever 3 developer Urban Games.

The studio is altering the character art in its upcoming sim to address concerns about an uncanny, overly perfect look that can read as AI-generated. One early character model was described as shiny, uncanny and weirdly smooth. It lacked the usual imperfections that signal human handiwork—no inconsistencies, no blurry patterns on clothing, no malformed hands or teeth—yet still carried an aesthetic common to AI-generated character art, which many players found offputting.

generative ai, ai paranoia, urban games, transport fever, character art, character model, ai generated, uncanny valley, subreddit, imperfections