Being racially discriminatory in 2024 (and cue the clichéd phrases like “I’m not racist but”) is a regressive stance firmly rooted in the past. Despite being a minority, those individuals who propagate such views are vociferous, giving the false impression of being a larger group. Their latest avenue for spreading hateful rhetoric is through infiltrating ‘Fortnite’ with their toxic ideologies, leveraging artificial intelligence for profit.
Unveiling Offensive Content in Fortnite
Upon delving into user-generated content, one quickly discovers an overwhelming abundance of AI-generated material, often depicting egregiously offensive three-dimensional renderings of overweight individuals by MidJourney. These depictions are so racially charged that they harken back to the outdated stereotypes akin to the infamous 60s playing cards portraying ‘Families of 7 countries’. Despite these stereotypes being antiquated, there are still some who perpetuate them.
Consequently, players frequently find themselves navigating maps featuring caricatures such as Arab sheiks on the brink of detonating bomb belts, Mexican men adorned with mariachi hats devouring oversized tacos, African Americans consuming fried chicken, or emaciated African children. Astonishingly, within ‘Fortnite’, a game widely embraced by families and children, there has been a glaring absence of content moderation.
As the game’s popularity surged, expanding beyond its initial ‘Battle Royale’ premise, so did its player base, solidifying its status as a pivotal title in contemporary video game history. In a bid to incentivize creativity within its community, Epic Games has instituted a payment system for successful user creations, inadvertently fostering the proliferation of AI-generated content, cyber detritus, and a dearth of oversight (at least until public scrutiny prompted action). The sheer volume of content overwhelms Epic Games, necessitating substantial manpower to address the issue effectively.
What is particularly disconcerting is the normalization of AI-generated racism within the game. For instance, the pioneering map, Jamaica Zonewars, boasted an active user base of 35,000 nearly a month ago, sparking a wave of imitative creations laden with racist and objectionable themes. In response to the backlash, Epic Games has begun removing numerous AI-generated islands and has pledged to continue doing so to safeguard ‘Fortnite’ from devolving into a haven for a fringe faction clinging to outdated memes from 2005.
