Night time within the Woods and Tunic writer Finji mentioned TikTok is utilizing its characters and artwork with out its consent to run offensive advertisements “enhanced” with generative AI. As reported by IGN, Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman referred to as consideration to the difficulty publicly in a February 5 Bluesky publish.
“When you occur to see any Finji advertisements that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, ship me a screencap,” Saltsman instructed her followers. We now have reached out to TikTok for remark, and can replace this story if we hear again.
Posting this right here for causes 😒
When you occur to see any Finji advertisements that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, ship me a screencap.
If you’re somebody who writes intelligently about one thing like “huge firm working ai variations of paid advertisements with out small firm’s consent” idk, possibly attain out.— @bexsaltsman.bsky.social (@bexsaltsman.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-22T18:00:55.392Z
Saltsman instructed IGN that, whereas Finji does use TikTok to serve advertisements (like this one), these advertisements do not make use of generative AI. Finji says it obtained screenshots from followers who have been served AI variations of the advertisements. IGN was proven no less than one instance the place the lead character of Finji’s subsequent recreation, a Black lady, was become a sexualized, racist caricature via AI alterations.
“After checking the creatives, we do not see any indication that AI-generated belongings or slideshow codecs are getting used,” TikTok Advertisements Assist reportedly instructed Finji when contacted in regards to the subject. When equipped screenshots of the advertisements in query, TikTok Advertisements Assist reportedly instructed Finji that “we’re now not disputing whether or not this occurred,” and that the writer can be put involved with a “senior consultant who has the authority to handle the scenario.”
TikTok assist reportedly instructed Finji that this was a part of “an initiative aimed toward serving to advertisers such as you obtain higher outcomes with much less effort.” Finji was instructed it may request to decide out. In a later reply, TikTok allegedly instructed Finji that it “wouldn’t be contacted by a ‘senior consultant’ as a result of the particular person at the moment talking was ‘the very best inner crew out there for this kind of subject.'” Although it did, in one other reply, say it’d “re-escalate the difficulty internally.”
In a press release, Saltsman instructed IGN: “It is one factor to have an algorithm that is racist and sexist, and one other factor to make use of AI to churn content material of your paying enterprise companions, and one other factor to do it in opposition to their consent, after which to additionally NOT reply to any of these errors in a coherent approach? Actually?
“What actually is completely baffling is what seems to be a profound void the place frequent sense and enterprise sense normally reside. Does TikTok need me to be glad about the mistreatment of my firm and our recreation?”
