Indie publisher alleges TikTok is AI-generating offensive ads using its characters and they can't make it stop: 'Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company?'

Tunic key art - bipedal fox holding a sword and shield — (Image credit: Tunic Team)

Night in the Woods and Tunic publisher Finji said TikTok is using its characters and art without its consent to run offensive ads "enhanced" with generative AI. As reported by IGN, Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman called attention to the issue publicly in a February 5 Bluesky post.

"If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap," Saltsman told her followers. We have reached out to TikTok for comment, and will update this story if we hear back.

Posting this here for reasons 😒 If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap. If you are someone who writes intelligently about something like "massive company running ai versions of paid ads without small company's consent" idk, maybe reach out.
— @bexsaltsman.bsky.social (@bexsaltsman.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-22T18:00:55.392Z

Saltsman told IGN that, while Finji does use TikTok to serve ads (like this one), those ads don't make use of generative AI. Finji says it received screenshots from fans who were served AI versions of the ads. IGN was shown at least one example where the lead character of Finji's next game, a Black woman, was turned into a sexualized, racist caricature through AI alterations.

"After checking the creatives, we do not see any indication that AI-generated assets or slideshow formats are being used," TikTok Ads Support reportedly told Finji when contacted about the issue. When supplied screenshots of the ads in question, TikTok Ads Support reportedly told Finji that "we are no longer disputing whether this occurred," and that the publisher would be put in contact with a "senior representative who has the authority to address the situation."

TikTok support reportedly told Finji that this was part of "an initiative aimed at helping advertisers like you achieve better results with less effort." Finji was told it could request to opt out. In a later reply, TikTok allegedly told Finji that it "would not be contacted by a 'senior representative' because the person currently speaking was 'the highest internal team available for this type of issue.'" Though it did, in another reply, say it'd "re-escalate the issue internally."

In a statement, Saltsman told IGN: "It's one thing to have an algorithm that's racist and sexist, and another thing to use AI to churn content of your paying business partners, and another thing to do it against their consent, and then to also NOT respond to any of those mistakes in a coherent way? Really?

"What really is utterly baffling is what appears to be a profound void where common sense and business sense usually reside. Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game?"

Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time with pause combat. Any day now...

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