There's no way Nintendo approved this AI Mario abomination
Jan. 10, 2024AI Mario would like you to shop at Target
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Update, January 11:A representative for Proto has reached out to offer some clarity on the AI Mario display at CES.
“The AI hologram animation briefly seen today is an unfinished proof of concept tested for a client to demonstrate technological capabilities and innovation. It is not intended for commercial release. AARP and Nintendo were not involved in the inadvertent showing today. The fact that so many gamers of the world have taken notice shows that they are the best fans in the world and we salute them.”
Original story, January 10:CES is in full swing, and Mario was there in holographic AI form to give folks at the AARP booth advice on how to eat healthy. I wish I was joking.
Footage of this AI-powered Mario hit the internet courtesy ofTwitter user ProbChild, and pretty quickly captured the internet’s collective nightmares. It’s a combination of life-sized holographic display, AI chatbot, and awkwardly animated Mario facsimile. Just ask Mario a question and this…thingwill answer with generic advice straight out of a ChatGPT prompt.
What’s with these animations? What’s with thisvoice? It looks like Mario is recovering from shoulder surgery and being forced to lip-sync along with a deep-voiced Italian man who has never once considered the possibility of eating a magic mushroom. It’s so weird and off-model that I can’t imagine Nintendo has signed off on any of this.
It only gets weirder the more you look at it. This thing was at the AARP booth - yes, as in the American Association of Retired Persons - and it features a Target logo in the bottom corner.ProbChild reports being toldby an AARP rep to ask Mario how to buy a game, and the AI plumberstronglyrecommends checking in at Target to find the title you’re looking for.
This all seems to tie into AARP’sAgeTech Collaborative, a group of tech outfits with a website full of phrases like “accelerating innovation.” Basically, it seems to be a networking initiative for tech startups whose products might benefit older folks to show their wares and connect with investors. This Mario is being displayed on a holographic display platform called Proto, though there’s no clear indication of who’s providing the AI and animation. (Again, though, it’s a safe bet that it’s not Nintendo.)
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
All I really know is that this is all profoundly upsetting and I might just have found the one instance where I would appreciate Nintendo vigorously defending its IP from derivative works.
Valve’s new Steam policy will allow the “vast majority” of AI games to release.
Lego Fortnite channels The Sims with a new mode that’ll let you customize a house, get a job, and hang out with friends in an “ever-evolving city”
How to complete the Indiana Jones A Date to Remember mystery
After 9 hours, I can’t bear to leave The Vatican in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
