Jan. 29: Why the Ennies Reversed on AI

A Total Ennie 180

Last week, the TTRPG award show, the Ennies, opened up for submissions. What users immediately noticed was a section on the bottom of the form stating that AI-generated products could be submitted for consideration but that they could not be considered for the specifically generated section of the product. For example, a product that had a cover made with GenAI could not be considered in the cover art category, but the human-written contents within could. The policy isn’t new, as it had been used in 2023-24 without much applause. It just gained some attention on Bluesky this week, leading to the change in policy.

Users were quite vocal about the matter, stating they were unhappy about the policy decision.

It only took a couple of days for the Ennies to address the matter in a blog post.

“In 2023, the ENNIE Awards introduced their initial policy on generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs),” wrote Ennies director Stacy Muth. “The policy recognized the growing presence of these technologies in modern society and their nuanced applications, from generating visual and written content to supporting background tasks such as PDF creation and word processing. The intent was to encourage honesty and transparency from creators while maintaining a commitment to human-driven creativity.”

According to Muth, the policy didn’t go far enough based on public feedback. The technology is a “divisive issue,” and a significant part of the TTRPG community views generative AI as a “threat to the creativity and originality that define the TTRPG industry.” The prevailing sentiment is that AI-generated content, in any form, detracts from a product rather than enhancing it.

That’s why the awards will restrict AI submissions in upcoming award seasons. This decision will not affect the 2024-25 season due to the show not wanting to “retroactively alter” the rules.

While the decision to reverse its support of generative AI is commendable, it’s hard to say how meaningful this reversal will be. The Ennies are just an award show, and their influence over public opinion is limited. Most TTRPG players don’t know what the Ennies are, and their decisions are unaffected by how the organization acts. The award show also evaded making massive moral qualifications about the technology, which is considered damaging to the environment and is often built on serious copyright breaches.

At the same time, it’s hard to deny the amount of AI-generated content submitted to TTRPG forums and stores. New D&D classes and campaigns published on DrivethruRPG, Kickstarter, and Backerkit rely on AI-generated content more, and it seems unlikely to slow down unless those websites adopt a policy that opposes the technology. There are also several startups attempting to create genAI-powered dungeon master experiences. The Ennies’ policy decision could help set a standard for what good TTRPG content looks like and hopefully encourage a healthy approach to the technology.

What do you think of the Ennies’ decision?