Developers and Players Slam DLSS 5 as a “Garbage AI Filter” That Destroys Artistic Style

Nvidia announced DLSS 5 as “the biggest breakthrough in computer graphics since the advent of ray tracing” — and almost immediately faced a wave of criticism that’s hard to describe as anything other than a near-unanimous backlash. The technology uses an AI model to rework lighting and materials in real time without touching geometry or textures. It sounds impressive — until you see the results.

The main trigger was Grace from Resident Evil Requiem. With DLSS 5 enabled, the heroine looks like a completely different person — more “Hollywood-like,” smoother, as if she had been run through a beauty filter. That’s exactly what infuriated people: the technology doesn’t improve the image — it rewrites it. Notably, Capcom praised DLSS 5 in an official statement for its “cinematic quality,” but didn’t say a word about Grace’s altered appearance.

Industry professionals reacted with little diplomacy. Respawn rendering engineer Steve Karolewics called DLSS 5 an “intrusive contrast and retouch filter” that has nothing to do with photorealism. Concept artist Jeff Talbot was even harsher:

VG247 journalist Alex Donaldson added that the technology looks impressive in environments, but becomes “uncanny” with characters — and the key question is how much control developers will retain over their own artistic vision.

The reaction online was almost unanimous. On YouTube, the Digital Foundry video has more dislikes than likes, and the comments are almost entirely negative:

Adding a layer of irony to the situation is the position of Todd Howard. Just a month ago, the head of Bethesda publicly said the studio is “incredibly cautious” about AI and doesn’t use it to generate anything — because “artistic intent is what makes games special.” Now Bethesda stands among the first partners of DLSS 5, and Howard himself enthusiastically talks about how the technology “brought new life” to Starfield.

Formally, there’s no contradiction — Nvidia generates the changes, not Bethesda. But it looks like a very convenient technicality, and the designer is already getting tomatoes thrown at him across the internet. DLSS 5 is scheduled to launch this fall, and developers still have time to adjust the intensity of the filter.

The real question is different: will they even want to — if Nvidia has already decided what their art should look like? What do you think? How did you react when you saw the results?