Despite the recent AI-caused WAGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Amazon Games CEO Christoph Hartmann affirmed the need for AI use in video games during an IGN interview.

Hartmann said that the game industry needs AI to speed up the development workflow and cut out the dull parts of game development.

I don’t believe any technology can replace human creativity and the uniqueness

Despite Hartmann’s defense of creativity, he said that AI will particularly help localize games to different regions’ languages.

However, AI is at the stage where its inability to understand cultural nuances might cause difficulty in true localization or anything past translating a phrase verbatim; after all, if translation were this easy, Google Translate would’ve bankrupted many translation businesses years ago

When pressed about his excitement about AI usage during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, the CEO said that video games “don’t really have acting” and that the majority of it is programming, which is “all about innovation.”

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Amazon is apparently investing heavily into this franchise.

The CEO’s sentiments aside, Amazon’s published and developed games have had hundreds of actors in them between voice acting and motion capture.

What’s more worrying about Hartmann’s hypocritical outlook on what’s artistic or not is Amazon Games’ current projects: the next Tomb Raider and a Lord of the Rings MMO.

Information on both games is scarce, but we know that Tomb Raider’s progress is undeterred by shifting studio ownership and that LOTR’s MMO hasn’t started development. It’s unclear how much AI will be used in either game.

Hartmann’s leadership, coupled with a massive, unfeeling corporation like Amazon, might be dangerous to both industry practices and professionals.

Really, what could possibly go wrong when a CEO denies an entire art form within an industry?

AI Is A Blessing & A Curse For Game Dev

Hartmann’s enthusiasm is warranted, as AI can be used to create genuinely impressive technological feats. In fact, one of the most anticipated games of the past decade, GTA VI, is reportedly riddled with AI.

The game’s NPCs will reportedly have AI-generated responses to their environment, weather, and player actions.

AI will even help create more interiors within the map than ever possible before. An ex-Rockstar dev even said that the game’s trailer might hint at AI-made animations.

Interestingly, responses to Rockstar’s AI rumors were mostly positive. Players commended the improved textures, animations, NPC-AI, and more building interiors. However, these improvements mask a hidden consequence.

Whether it’s Amazon Games, Rockstar, or any other game company, AI is making the already cutthroat game dev business even worse.

The gaming industry has seen record redundancies in recent years, with many staff members being cut to reduce costs and increase reliance on automation; people’s careers and livelihoods are apparently the cost of better graphics in this console generation.

It’s clear that AI-assisted game development is here to stay, but the form it’ll take is uncertain. The industry’s future is up in the air and, as many things are these days, it’s up to the market and consumers to dictate it.

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