Why is Generative AI bad for gaming?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a huge impact on almost every creative field in recent years. While the possibilities are huge, we need to be careful to ensure that all of this rapid change is beneficial.

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:

• Graphics, including backgrounds, 3D textures, and character models or sprites.
• Audio content from sound effects to complete music.
• Textual artifacts such as narrative, dialogue, and descriptive prose.
• Create maps and action sequences.

Why is Generative AI bad for gaming?

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

Job loss

Regardless of the ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding AI, most people agree that jobs in certain roles will be lost. Existing artists may have to be retrained and new professions will emerge, but the goal of generative AI is to make certain tasks easier and faster, so job losses are inevitable.

Certain jobs will inevitably emerge and then become obsolete as technology advances. But large-scale losses in the short term will impact individuals and the industry as a whole. 2023 and 2024 are shaping up to be terrible years for the gaming industry, with at least 20,000 jobs lost so far.

Automation reduces creativity

While artists can benefit from generative AI, it’s clear that we’re missing something by removing the human element from artistic production. Can AI recreate the creativity found in quirky games like Baba Is You, the humor and irony of a game like The Stanley Parable, or the mind-bending antics of Super Mario Wonder?

Much of the AI ​​art we’ve seen so far has been similar, strange, and unrealistic. With the huge advances in graphics power, gaming has become a much more diverse art form. Unfortunately, AI is threatening this creative value.

Open content may be offensive or inappropriate for the audience

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

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

Is AI just a crowd effect?

Every hyped technology has seen companies rush in without often asking why they should. Companies that don’t listen to what gamers really want and instead rush to introduce AI for the superficial benefits it brings.

Are there any positives?

There are some legitimate uses for AI in gaming. These cases would provide clear, tangible benefits and would not threaten existing jobs or creativity.

For example, AI could dynamically generate audio dialogue. This would be impractical in any way other than programming and would likely require some form of AI to sound as natural as possible.