Why is Generative AI not good for gaming?

What is Generative AI? How can games use it?

Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that deals with programmatic creation of content such as images, music, etc.

When it comes to video games, there are no limits to artificial intelligence. Some of the areas this new technology could touch include:

1. Graphics, including backgrounds, 3D textures, and character models or sprites.
2. Audio content from sound effects to finished music.
3. Textual artifacts such as narration, dialogue, and descriptive prose.
4. Create maps and action sequences.

Why is Generative AI not good for gaming?

Generative AI is an exciting field. But it also has many disadvantages that we should be wary of.

Job loss

Regardless of the ethical or legal dilemmas surrounding AI, most people agree jobs in certain roles will be lost. It is possible that current artists will have to retrain and new disciplines will emerge, but the goal of Generative AI is to make certain tasks easier and faster, so job losses are inevitable. .

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Certain jobs will inevitably come into existence, then become obsolete as technology advances. However, large-scale losses in the short term will affect individuals and entire industries. 2023 and 2024 are terrible years for the gaming industry, with at least 20,000 people losing their jobs so far.

Automation reduces creative value

Although artists can benefit from Generative AI, it is clear that we will lose something if we remove the human element from artistic products. Can AI recreate the creativity inherent in whimsical games like Baba Is You, the humor and satire of a game like The Stanley Parable or the puzzling mind-bending moments of Super Mario Wonder?

The majority of the AI ​​art we've seen so far has had a similar, strange, unrealistic style. With the huge advancement in graphical power, gaming has become a much more diverse art form. Unfortunately, AI is threatening this creative value.

Open-ended content may be offensive or inappropriate for your audience

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How can you test your content when you don't know what it will look like when it launches? If Generative AI has too much autonomy, it may start using words you don't like or create images that aren't appropriate for your audience. AI can be biased, which can end up irritating audiences or creating games that lack diversity.

There have been many cases of AI using rude language or inappropriate words. Some of the issues surrounding the safety of self-driving cars also apply here. If AI creates unwanted content, who is responsible?

Is AI just a crowd effect?

Every technology that gets a lot of hype brings bold companies into it, often without asking why they should do it. Companies don't listen to what gamers really want and instead just rush to introduce AI for the superficial benefits it brings.

Are there any positives?

There are a number of reasonable uses for AI in gaming. Such cases will bring clear tangible benefits and do not threaten existing jobs or creativity.

For example, AI can dynamically generate audio dialogue. This wouldn't be practical in any way other than programming, and would probably require some form of AI to make the pronunciation as natural as possible.

Lesley Montoya

Update 20 July 2024