Nintendo has addressed rumors claiming Mario Kart World is using AI-like assets in the Switch 2 game.
With Nintendo Switch 2 set to launch on June 5, 2025, excitement around the new console is at an all-time high. One of the games that has been confirmed to be immediately available at launch is Mario Kart World.
Fans first got a glimpse of this game during the Nintendo Direct presentation, which showcased different maps and characters, as well as our first look at the open world pivot.
However, shortly after this reveal, rumors started circulating that some assets seen in the game’s Treehouse live stream may have been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nintendo has now responded to the accusations in a new statement.
Nintendo denies the use of AI in Mario Kart World
Speaking to Eurogamer, a Nintendo spokesperson has pushed back against this claim, saying outright that “AI-generated images were not used in the development of Mario Kart World.”
One of the allegations in question refered to the text at the bottom of the billboard in the stream. As one user pclaimed, the text looked like it was an “upscaled” AI from a smaller image, and that it had a “strange effect.”
Other billboards were also said to have wonky lines and “weird images,” pointing to the possible use of Generative AI. One of them included a car with somewhat large and unnatural-looking windows, though Nintendo has clearly sought to shut down any notion of AI use in its creation.
Fans weren’t too keen on the size of the windows in this car in Mario Kart.
Nintendo has made it clear they’re not one to embrace AI. Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has previously spoken about this topic during an interview with The New York Times in September 2024.
Miyamoto said that the company would rather go in a different direction in terms of AI use. “There is a lot of talk about A.I. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”
This goes in line with the statement from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa in July 2024, who explained that the company will “work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo” and “cannot be created by technology alone”, though they are open to “utilizing technological developments.”
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