The Nintendo AI controversy, explained: everything you need to know about "Fingergate"
Nintendo's new "My Mario" campaign hit Instagram with smiling families and cozy product shots. Within hours, fans flagged odd details-warped fingers, uncanny smiles, and background quirks-and accused the brand of using AI.
One of the models jumped in to comment, "I can promise you this is not AI guys." Nintendo backed it up, telling NintendoLife that "AI has not been used in any of the My Mario promotional images." NintendoLife reported the statement, but debate continued: double-jointed hand, or clumsy retouching?
Whether you believe it or not, the bigger point is clear. AI has trained audiences to question everything. Even honest work can look suspicious, and trust is now a design constraint.
Why this matters for creatives
If you art direct, shoot, edit, or design ads, your work will be judged through an "AI or not?" lens. People scan for hand mistakes, weird text, off shadows, and facial oddities-classic telltales of synthetic imagery and sloppy edits.
- Hands and fingers: counts, angles, joints, nails, and how skin folds under pressure
- Reflections and shadows: mirrors, glass, and light direction consistency
- Text and logos: warped glyphs, inconsistent kerning, ghosting
- Edges and seams: product stitching, jewelry clasps, hair against busy backgrounds
- Perspective: straight lines, vanishing points, and depth relationships
Prevent the next "Fingergate": a practical checklist
- Declare your workflow. If no AI touched the image, say so in the caption or press notes.
- Add content provenance. Use Content Credentials (C2PA) to embed edit history and sources. Learn more at Content Credentials.
- Keep receipts. Save RAWs, contact sheets, and BTS stills so you can show how the shot came together.
- Standardize retouching. Create rules for hands, teeth, skin, and fabric so edits don't drift into uncanny.
- Pre-empt hand issues. Brief talent on poses; shoot alternates; avoid finger tension that looks unnatural.
- Run an "artifact pass." Have two fresh eyes review at 100%, 200%, and phone size before publishing.
- Ship with a statement. One-paragraph explainer on process, tools, and whether AI was used.
- Monitor comments early. Triage claims fast, escalate evidence to PR, and pin the clarification.
If you do use AI, set expectations
Label it. Share which parts are AI-assisted (e.g., background cleanup, layout exploration) and which are photographed. Avoid AI-generated hands and faces in final ads unless you're fully ready to defend them with clear intent and context.
Use AI for comps, storyboards, or mood exploration-and keep people and products real in the final. Document tools and prompts. Add Content Credentials so the record is traceable.
Need a structured way to upskill your team on AI workflows and disclosure? Explore role-based courses at Complete AI Training.
Rapid response playbook (if allegations hit)
- Acknowledge quickly: "We hear the concern-here's what we used."
- Provide proof: RAWs, BTS, and a short edit breakdown. If retouching caused the artifact, own it.
- Clarify specifics: name the oddity (e.g., double-jointed hand, lens distortion, or warp from retouch).
- Confirm policy: share your stance on AI in ads and how you disclose it.
- Pin the response, keep listening, and close the loop once resolved.
The takeaway
The finger wasn't proof of AI-it was proof of low trust. Audiences now expect AI slop by default. Build provenance into your process, communicate upfront, and make your evidence easier to find than the rumors.
Your membership also unlocks:
