We’re a week out from the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, and the internet is still running wild with new information, commentary, and, as the internet often does, dark jokes. That includes AI slop, and one particular brand of it became so viral that Bandai Namco, or more specifically, the company’s toy division, has released a statement about its logo being used in fake mockups of Gunpla models depicting Kirk’s assassination.
The statement was released on the company’s social media channels, and while it doesn’t reference Kirk’s death by name, it says that it has been made aware of “AI-generated images circulating online that depict the Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc. logo on packaging associated with graphic or violent content, including references to recent events.” The images, which Kotaku has verified, include a fake model of the moment Kirk was shot on September 10 at the Utah Valley University campus with a fake Bandai-branded box in the background. The full statement reads as follows:
We have recently been made aware of AI-generated images circulating online that depict the Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc. logo on packaging associated with graphic or violent content, including references to recent events.
We want to make it unequivocally clear: Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc. strongly condemns any form of violence and does not support or endorse the use of our brand, products, or logo in any such context. These images are not created, approved, or affiliated with our company in any way.
We are actively investigating this matter and are taking steps to report and remove any unauthorized or misleading content. The misuse of our intellectual property in a way that misrepresents our values and intentions is deeply concerning and will not be tolerated.
We thank our community for bringing this to our attention and encourage anyone who sees similar misuses to report them to us directly.
Kirk’s death has sparked a whirlwind of controversy that has bled into various industries as public figures have reacted to the event. Helldivers 2 has even been dragged into the entire ordeal after it was reported that a reference to the Arrowhead Game Studios game was engraved on the bullet casings used in the fatal shooting. Naturally, this has led to a rehash of long-debated discussions on whether violent crimes can be linked to video games.
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