Game developers are still vastly superior to the capabilities of artificial intelligence and it might be a long time before AI can close the canyon-sized gulf, CD Projekt quest designer Pawel Sasko says.
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Generative AI might radically disrupt the artistic world, and has particularly dire implications for game developers. The creators of this new AI tech claim that it can empower developers, but at the same time, these technologies are indeed able to create real-time sequences that could eventually put people out of a job. Things like conversation flow and quests can be entire AI-generated.
Right now, AI tech like Convai’s tech or NVIDIA’s Covert Protocol demo hasn’t matured enough to be entirely convincing. In other words, the artifice still has a long way to go before we think it’s real on a consumer level. But what do game developers think about this kind of generative AI? You know, the people that spend years creating realistic 3D animations for billion-dollar products?
Predictably, game devs see the many flaws in the current AI tools, demos, and systems.
In a recent interview with Aftermath’s Nathan Grayson, CD Projekt’s Pawel Sasko says that it’s pretty obvious when AI is involved in these projects. Sasko was the lead quest designer for Cyberpunk 2077, and also worked as a quest designer on The Witcher 3, so his credentials on this topic are exceptional.
“I could definitely see the ways this could be used to bring up more reactivity–just make the reactions of NPCs a bit more authentic,” Sasko said. “But when it comes to writing and voice acting, there’s just a gigantic, really long way to go.”
“I’ve seen a lot behind the scenes. There is a visible gap between authored content–the bespoke content that writers, quest designers, cinematic designers make with their own hands–and something that AI can provide.
“You look at Phantom Liberty, our top characters, I can only yet imagine how AI could get even close. The gap in quality, specifically, is huge. It’s like a canyon.”
It’s tough to say how each company is using AI for their games development, but the more common use-case for AI is mostly for toolsets and queries–things that AI can help automate with shortcuts or quick-finding capabilities. How exactly AI will transform the games industry remains unknown, but companies like NVIDIA and Epic Games have been trying to supercharge game development through tools like Metahumans and Omniverse.