transformerstcg.org transformerstcg.org

AI Usage Policy

Last updated August 4, 2026.

This policy explains how transformerstcg.org approaches AI technology in the cards, artwork, tools, documentation, and community spaces we publish, operate, or support.

Core Standard

transformerstcg.org applies two general standards:

  1. Generative AI is prohibited in artwork and in every direct part of card production, regardless of intended use.
  2. AI may be used selectively in supporting tools, software, analysis, statistics, and documentation when its use is limited, human-reviewed, and accountable.

All cards published by transformerstcg.org must be human-authored and human-produced.

Generative AI Artwork

transformerstcg.org does not knowingly accept, publish, promote, or permit generative AI artwork as ordinary creative content. Limited display may be permitted by staff for investigation, education, documentation, or archival identification.

This prohibition applies to:

  • card releases
  • promotional and event materials
  • packaging and product materials
  • websites and social media
  • Tabletop Simulator assets
  • contributor submissions
  • images posted in the transformerstcg.org Discord

It includes wholly generated images, generative fill, image-to-image generation, AI-generated additions, AI redraws, materially reconstructed images, and human-edited composites containing generated material.

Tracing, overpainting, filtering, or editing generated material does not make it acceptable.

Generative AI artwork may not be posted in public Discord channels. Staff may authorize limited examples when necessary for moderation, investigation, education about identifying generated material, or communication of an AI Content Advisory.

Human Artists

transformerstcg.org commissions, credits, and promotes human artists.

Artists working on our releases are informed of this policy and agree not to use generative AI at any stage of image production, including concepts, composition, backgrounds, effects, revisions, enhancement, or upscaling.

Official Transformers Artwork

transformerstcg.org may use official Transformers Trading Card Game artwork and other official Transformers artwork where that use is permitted by the applicable Fan Content Policy.

Official publication does not guarantee that artwork was created without generative AI. If credible evidence indicates that official artwork used in a transformerstcg.org project contains generative AI material, we will investigate the concern and strive to replace the affected image with suitable human-created artwork.

An image’s official status does not exempt it from our opposition to generative AI artwork. When immediate replacement is not practical, the affected material may be temporarily marked and advisories may be attached while a replacement is prepared.

Card Production

Generative AI may not be used in any direct part of card production.

Cards must be conceived, written, designed, reviewed, and visually produced by human contributors.

Prohibited AI-generated elements include:

  • card concepts and mechanics
  • rules, reminder, and flavor text
  • wording and templating
  • statistics, costs, traits, factions, and battle icons
  • balance changes
  • layouts, frames, symbols, typography, and visual effects
  • artwork, backgrounds, textures, logos, and branding

AI-generated material does not become acceptable because a human later edits, rewrites, redraws, approves, or incorporates it.

Mechanical tools may still be used for tasks such as file conversion, export automation, data validation, and checking required fields, provided they do not generate or materially alter card content.

Image Processing

Ordinary non-generative processes may be used when they do not create new visual content. These may include cropping, resizing, traditional interpolation, compression, color correction, sharpening, and noise reduction.

AI upscalers, enhancers, restorers, and redraw systems may not be used when they invent or reconstruct details absent from the human-created source.

Original or higher-resolution human-created artwork should be used.

Permitted Supporting Uses

transformerstcg.org permits limited and mindful AI use in:

  • software and application development
  • database maintenance
  • search and information retrieval
  • analysis and statistics
  • document organization and collation
  • transcription and accessibility
  • administrative work
  • supporting documentation

These uses must serve a defined community need and should favor:

  • human authorship and editing
  • human verification
  • transparent sourcing
  • proportionate use
  • accountable decisions
  • minimal environmental and computational cost

The responsible human contributor or team remains accountable for the final result.

Documentation and Analysis

AI may assist with organizing, comparing, summarizing, proofreading, or initially drafting supporting documentation.

AI-assisted material must receive meaningful human editing and verification before publication. Rules, rulings, instructions, histories, policies, website copy, and other authoritative materials must be approved by accountable human editors.

AI may also assist in analyzing tournament results, deck construction, card usage, matchup data, playtest feedback, and format performance.

Such analysis remains advisory. It may not replace sustained playtesting, player feedback, rules review, or human design judgment.

AI may not fabricate sources, quotations, statistics, historical events, playtest results, contributor statements, artwork provenance, or community consensus.

The db Assistant

The future db Transformers TCG card database and deck builder, planned for db.tftcg.org, is expected to include a chatbot for deck-building assistance, card discovery, documented interactions, and rules navigation.

It is intended to operate as a low-resource, closed-corpus system using curated Transformers TCG information rather than unrestricted internet content.

Its priorities include:

  • minimal environmental and computational impact
  • a limited and reviewable source corpus
  • human-maintained card and rules data
  • transparency about uncertainty and limitations
  • separation between generated advice and authoritative rulings
  • no replacement of human designers, judges, organizers, or community discussion

Its responses will be advisory. Authoritative card text, rulings, legality, formats, and event policy will continue to come from maintained, human-reviewed records.

Decisions Reserved for Humans

AI may not independently:

  • publish rules or rulings
  • determine card legality
  • approve cards, releases, or balance changes
  • certify community releases
  • assign contributor credit
  • determine artwork provenance
  • make moderation or disciplinary decisions
  • represent generated output as community consensus

Certified Community Releases

The prohibition on generative AI artwork and direct AI card production is a baseline requirement of the Certified Community Release program.

A release cannot receive or retain certification if it contains:

  • generative or materially AI-reconstructed artwork
  • AI-generated card text, mechanics, templating, layouts, or visual elements
  • commissioned artwork used without permission
  • concealed AI use or artwork provenance

Certification may be suspended or withdrawn if prohibited use is discovered later.

Disclosure and Enforcement

Contributors must disclose AI-assisted or AI-generated material submitted for publication, promotion, certification, or inclusion in a transformerstcg.org project.

Disclosure does not make prohibited material acceptable.

Undisclosed or prohibited use may result in rejection, removal, replacement, correction of credits, withdrawal of certification, or restrictions on future contributions.

transformerstcg.org takes credible reports seriously. We may review source files and revision histories, request provenance information, speak with contributors, temporarily remove material, and consult qualified artists or reviewers.

Confirmed prohibited material will be removed and replaced. Mistaken publication does not create an exception to this policy.

Fan Release AI Content Advisories

transformerstcg.org may preserve or document historical and current fan releases that were not produced under our standards.

When we determine that a fan card or release contains generative AI artwork, affected material may receive:

  • an AI Content Advisory
  • a visible identifying mark
  • notices attached to affected cards or releases
  • explanatory documentation
  • restrictions on distribution through transformerstcg.org resources and eligibility for play in transformerstcg.org environments

These advisories allow players to make informed decisions and discourage the normalization of generative AI artwork within the wider fan community.

Advisories should identify affected material as specifically as reasonably possible. They will not be applied solely because an image appears unusual or because an unsupported allegation has been made.

Reviews may consider source images, publication history, creator disclosures, credits, provenance, visible indicators, known generated material, and input from experienced artists and producers.

Advisory marks will be clear, consistent, and identifiable as annotations added by transformerstcg.org rather than part of the original release.

Historical and Archival Material

Archival inclusion does not mean that a release meets current transformerstcg.org standards or is endorsed, certified, or legal for organized play.

Historical and current fan material containing generative AI artwork may be marked, documented, restricted, excluded from promotion, or removed from resources under our control.

Privacy

Sensitive, confidential, or personally identifying community information must not be submitted to external AI services without explicit authorization and appropriate safeguards.

Reporting a Concern

To report suspected generative AI artwork, prohibited AI use, undisclosed assistance, or incorrect artwork credit, contact us through the contact page.

Please identify the affected card, release, image, article, tool, or page and provide any supporting information that may assist our review.