There's no way Nintendo approved this AI Mario abomination

Update, January 11: A representative for Proto has reached out to offer some clarity on the AI Mario display at CES.

"The AI hologram animation briefly seen today is an unfinished proof of concept tested for a client to demonstrate technological capabilities and innovation. It is not intended for commercial release. AARP and Nintendo were not involved in the inadvertent showing today. The fact that so many gamers of the world have taken notice shows that they are the best fans in the world and we salute them."

Original story, January 10: CES is in full swing, and Mario was there in holographic AI form to give folks at the AARP booth advice on how to eat healthy. I wish I was joking.

Footage of this AI-powered Mario hit the internet courtesy of Twitter user ProbChild, and pretty quickly captured the internet's collective nightmares. It's a combination of life-sized holographic display, AI chatbot, and awkwardly animated Mario facsimile. Just ask Mario a question and this… thing will answer with generic advice straight out of a ChatGPT prompt.

What's with these animations? What's with this voice? It looks like Mario is recovering from shoulder surgery and being forced to lip-sync along with a deep-voiced Italian man who has never once considered the possibility of eating a magic mushroom. It's so weird and off-model that I can't imagine Nintendo has signed off on any of this. 

It only gets weirder the more you look at it. This thing was at the AARP booth - yes, as in the American Association of Retired Persons - and it features a Target logo in the bottom corner. ProbChild reports being told by an AARP rep to ask Mario how to buy a game, and the AI plumber strongly recommends checking in at Target to find the title you're looking for.

This all seems to tie into AARP's AgeTech Collaborative, a group of tech outfits with a website full of phrases like "accelerating innovation." Basically, it seems to be a networking initiative for tech startups whose products might benefit older folks to show their wares and connect with investors. This Mario is being displayed on a holographic display platform called Proto, though there's no clear indication of who's providing the AI and animation. (Again, though, it's a safe bet that it's not Nintendo.)

All I really know is that this is all profoundly upsetting and I might just have found the one instance where I would appreciate Nintendo vigorously defending its IP from derivative works.

Valve's new Steam policy will allow the "vast majority" of AI games to release.