AI Usage at a Glance
Jan 3, 2020
OtherPractice documented: Nintendo deployed deep learning technology in the game Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, enabling the console's infrared camera to recognize the shape of players' fingers for in-game exercises.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jul 4, 2024
Creative GenPractice documented: Nintendo announced it has no current plans to use generative AI in its first-party game development, with president Shuntaro Furukawa citing intellectual property rights concerns at a shareholder meeting in July 2024.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jul 5, 2024
Creative GenNew evidence: No, Nintendo Will Not Use AI in its Upcoming Titles, President Says
Evidence AddedView practice →Jul 16, 2024
Creative GenNew evidence: Nintendo won't use generative AI in its first-party games
Evidence AddedView practice →Sep 24, 2024
ModerationPractice documented: Nintendo uses a third-party AI-powered copyright enforcement service called Tracer to identify and issue takedown notices for online content — including AI-generated images — that allegedly infringes Nintendo's intellectual property.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Sep 25, 2024
ModerationNew evidence: Nintendo Is Reportedly Targeting AI-Generated Mario Pictures
Evidence AddedView practice →Sep 26, 2024
ModerationNew evidence: Nintendo jumps on AI images of Mario shared on X
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 2, 2025
OtherPractice documented: Nintendo integrated Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology into the Nintendo Switch 2 console, allowing games to render at a lower resolution and then use AI to upscale the output to up to 4K quality.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Mar 1, 2025
OtherNew evidence: Nintendo European Research & Development - Wikipedia
Evidence AddedView practice →Mar 1, 2025
OtherNew evidence: Nintendo European Research & Development - Wikipedia
Evidence AddedView practice →Apr 3, 2025
OtherPractice documented: Nintendo deployed AI-powered face tracking and background removal in the Nintendo Switch 2's GameChat feature, using the console's Nvidia Tensor Cores to process live video from an optional USB-C camera.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Apr 3, 2025
OtherNew evidence: Nintendo Switch 2 confirms DLSS, hardware ray tracing support
Evidence AddedView practice →Apr 3, 2025
OtherNew evidence: Nintendo Switch 2 developers confirm DLSS, hardware ray tracing, and more
Evidence AddedView practice →Oct 6, 2025
Creative GenNew evidence: Nintendo clarifies its stance on generative AI, says it has not had any contact with Japanese government over its usage
Evidence AddedView practice →Nintendo announced it has no current plans to use generative AI in its first-party game development, with president Shuntaro Furukawa citing intellectual property rights concerns at a shareholder meeting in July 2024.
At Nintendo's annual shareholder Q&A in July 2024, president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that while generative AI has creative potential, it raises issues around intellectual property rights, and Nintendo does not currently intend to incorporate it into its game titles. Furukawa emphasized that Nintendo relies on 'decades of know-how' and human creativity rather than AI-generated content. Nintendo's stance was reiterated in October 2025 when the company also clarified it had 'no contact with the Japanese government about generative AI,' contradicting claims of lobbying. Furukawa also acknowledged that traditional rule-based AI (such as enemy character behavior) has long been part of game development and remains in use.
Nintendo deployed deep learning technology in the game Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, enabling the console's infrared camera to recognize the shape of players' fingers for in-game exercises.
Nintendo deployed AI-powered face tracking and background removal in the Nintendo Switch 2's GameChat feature, using the console's Nvidia Tensor Cores to process live video from an optional USB-C camera.
Nintendo integrated Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology into the Nintendo Switch 2 console, allowing games to render at a lower resolution and then use AI to upscale the output to up to 4K quality.
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Nintendo uses a third-party AI-powered copyright enforcement service called Tracer to identify and issue takedown notices for online content — including AI-generated images — that allegedly infringes Nintendo's intellectual property.
As reported by The Verge and multiple outlets in September 2024, a company called Tracer used AI tools — including machine vision, image recognition, and language processing — to scan social media platforms (primarily X, formerly Twitter) and identify images of Nintendo characters such as Mario. Tracer then issued DMCA takedown notices on Nintendo's behalf. The AI-generated images targeted included content created using Grok (xAI's image generator). Reports also noted that some human-made fan art was caught in the same automated sweep, raising questions about false positives. Nintendo and Tracer did not publicly comment on the specific arrangement.
Nintendo deployed deep learning technology in the game Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, enabling the console's infrared camera to recognize the shape of players' fingers for in-game exercises.
Nintendo's internal research subsidiary NERD (Nintendo European Research & Development), based in Paris, developed the deep learning middleware used in Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch (released late 2019 in Japan, early 2020 in other regions). The system uses the Joy-Con's IR Motion Camera as input and a trained neural network to classify hand shapes — for example, distinguishing rock, paper, and scissors gestures — enabling touchless gesture-based gameplay. This was confirmed on NERD's official website, which describes the technology as developed 'in close collaboration with the game development team in Japan.'
