Mobile publisher Scopely has been using generative AI assets to advertise Star Trek Fleet Command.

The company, which is owned by Saudi state-backed investor Savvy Games Group and last year spent $3.5 billion to acquire Pokemon Go, has confirmed it created at least one advertising asset for Instagram using an unnamed generative AI tool.

Game Developer spotted the advertisement last week and approached Scopely for comment. In response, the company said its marketing teams have been experimenting with AI tools and confirmed the ad was AI-generated.

"Our dedicated creative studio delivers hundreds of assets each month as we continuously explore new ways to engage players and fans of Star Trek Fleet Command," said a company spokesperson. "As is common across modern marketing teams, we regularly test and experiment with AI-enabled tools. This specific asset is no longer running, as we routinely refresh creative in market."

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Star Trek Fleet Command is an officially licensed free-to-play title currently available on PC, Mac, and mobile. The advertisement showed what is quite obviously an AI-generated person wandering through a futuristic vessel. As shown in the featured image above, the assets used in the advertisement lack quality and cohesion.

There was no disclosure informing users the advert had been AI-generated. Despite that, many people seemed to clock on, with a number of Instagram users deriding the advertisement in the comments section.

Generative AI tools remain divisive within the game industry. The latest State of the Game Industry survey found that while 36 percent of game workers are using the tools, including many within marketing departments, over half believe the technology is having a negative impact on the industry.