AI has become ubiquitous in the modern world, but among gamers it remains an extremely divisive topic. Game studios have had their projects review bombed for incorporating AI assets Pokémon and Street Fighter have struggled to keep AI art out of fan contests.
Earlier this week, Activision Blizzard came under fire for using AI art in the background of a promotional image for a new Youtooz.
Now, one of the best Fortnite players in the world may have made his own situation worse by using AI to write an apology.
Winner of the FNCS 2025 Major 3, FNCS 2025 Pro-Am, and last year’s FNCS Global Championship (plus a ton of other tournaments), Peterbot is one of the best Fortnite players to ever do it. Recently, a video emerged from several years ago of the legendary gamer using a racial slur multiple times.
The video quickly went viral with fans demanding an explanation, an apology, or some action from the Fortnite Champions Series, Epic Games, or his esports org Team Falcons.
At 10:45pm ET on August 8, Peterbot released an apology on his X account. “I want to sincerely apologize to the communities affected and to anyone who has been hurt by my words,” the statement read. “I am committed to continuing to learn, grow, and ensure that my actions moving forward reflect respect and understanding.”
A video has surfaced showing me using a racial slur while at the “agent house.” This incident took place when I was 16 years old. At the time, I was in an environment where I was heavily influenced by others and was asked to say it. That does not excuse my words, but it is…
— Peterbot (@PeterbotFN) August 9, 2025
He stated that the video is from when he was 16 years old and was highly susceptible to peer pressure from other people who were pushing him to use the inappropriate language. The video takes place at the Agent house, a gamer house for the content group and competitive Fortnite team Agent.
The first reply under Peterbot’s apology is a user asking Grok, X’s AI tool, if the apology is AI-generated. Grok responds that it has flagged 100% AI generated. “Its formulaic structure—context, responsibility, apology, growth—matches typical AI outputs, amplifying perceptions of insincerity.”
Hundreds of other X users ran similar tests using a variety of AI detection tools and received similar results. Esports on SI ran the text through ZeroGPT and also received a score of 100% AI-generated.
This discovery led to a renewed wave of backlash, with users alleging that using AI indicated the apology was insincere.
Guys since we’re taking accountability id like to do my part and say I wasn’t a great influence. I did not ask him to say it or anything but I definitely let it fly.
— Cented 🇨🇦 (@Cented7) August 9, 2025
Fortnite YouTuber and former FNCS pro Cented, who was also creating content with Agent at the time of the offending video, replied to the apology to take a measure of accountability but also pushed back on Peterbot’s claim of peer pressure. “I did not ask him to say it or anything but I definitely let it fly.
At time of writing, neither Peterbot, Team Falcons, or the FNCS has issued any further statements on the controversy. The use of racially insensitive language has resulted in consequences for esports pros numerous times in the past. Earlier this year, a racially insensitive tweet cost Team Liquid its Honda partnership.
Peterbot is qualified for the FNCS Global Championship next month along with his Trios partners Cold and Ritual, neither of whom has posted anything about the controversy at this time. The tournament boasts a $2 million prize pool and is one of the biggest esports events of the year. While Peterbot is certainly facing a wave of online negativity, it will be up to Epic Games and event organizer BLAST.tv to determine if the video or the apology warrants any direct action that would affect Peterbot or his team’s spot in the championship.