Back in June, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino acknowledged that, like a great many companies working in the games industry, his firm was exploring the use of Generative AI as "a tool for communication and efficiency improvement."
Fast forward to the end of the year, and Hino's view of GenAI appears to have become a little more positive. As noted by Kotaku, he posted a lengthy response to the online “commotion surrounding AI,” pointing out that many companies in the gaming sector are now incorporating AI into their development process at some point.
He also addressed the misunderstanding that saw some people claim that Level-5 was using AI to write 80% of the code in its games:
“The truth of the matter is that there’s an unreleased title themed around AI, and for that specific title, a programmer mentioned they’re deliberately having AI handle the programming as well. They used that as an example to suggest that an era like that might be coming, and that’s what got blown out of proportion.”
However, Hino adds that "if they really were creating 80%–90% percent of the code with AI and successfully making games that way, it’d be incredibly impressive, and they’d be in high demand from the AI community," suggesting that he's put aside any concerns he might have about the ethical failings of GenAI, which is often trained on images, video and other data without the permission of the original creators.
"We haven’t reached that level yet," Hino admits. "That said, it’s also true that AI is enabling time savings that can’t be dismissed, and I believe this has the potential to upend common sense in game development. It might shift us from a world where developing the AAA games everyone wants to play takes 5–10 years to one where we get to enjoy them every two years."
Hino addresses the issue of copyright theft directly in the following passage, pointing out that GenAI is treated “like it’s synonymous with plagiarism." In fact, it seems that Hino has become something of an AI convert since his comments early in the year, saying:
"A knife can be used for cooking or as a weapon; a computer can create games or enable cybercrime. AI might produce plagiarized content if misused, but if used properly, it has the power to enrich the creative world even further.
I want to see games evolve even more in my lifetime. I want to experience and create dreamlike games that surpass the standards of today’s AAA titles. If we let the impression take hold here that ‘using AI is evil,’ it could seriously hinder the advancement of modern digital technology. I hope creators and audiences alike can recognize AI as a tool that people use to make their works. Here’s to hoping that various technological innovations lead to even greater growth in the game industry!”
We recently asked you, our beloved readers, if Generative AI was a worry for you as a consumer. 52% of you said you'd be concerned if developers used AI during any part of their pipeline, while 63% of you said you'd be "extremely disappointed" if Nintendo ever decided to utilise the controversial tech.