Prolific fighting game player SonicFox has terminated their contract with a convention in Norman, Oklahoma after organizers fed artwork of the pro's mascot character into AI to generate a promotional poster for the event.

SonicFox is one of the most successful fighting game players in the genre’s competitive scene. Known for being a multi-game specialist, SonicFox boasts multiple championships in a bevy of different titles, so it’s no surprise that they’re often invited as a special guest at tournaments across the United States.

One such tournament, taking place at a convention named Nexcon, invited SonicFox to attend alongside a few other notable guests. The convention is scheduled for November 14 - 15 in Norman, Oklahoma (home of the Sooners) — but now, SonicFox isn’t going to make an appearance.

On October 20, a concerned fan shared a promotional poster that Nexcon had made using generative AI on Twitter/X, which showed the likeness of SonicFox’s furry avatar, as well as the likenesses of other special guests, in an unmistakable AI art style.

“Not sure who’s in charge of Nexcon, but I absolutely refuse to have my likeness be AI-generated, and my interest in attending as a special guest has dropped to 0. Incredibly disrespectful,” the player replied.

It’s worth noting that much of the artwork SonicFox uses on their accounts is created by members of the furry community; feeding that artwork into a generative AI without their consent essentially steals their work to train on future models.

Not sure who’s in charge of Nexcon but I absolutely refuse to have my likeness be AI generated and my interest in attending as a special guest has dropped to 0.

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