Amid a growing debate in the video game industry over artificial intelligence technology, artists at Activision Blizzard have criticized reports that the studio is using artificial intelligence in game development.
The situation comes as the human cost of AI tools in game development is already becoming clear and recognized across the industry, with one report citing internal Activision Blizzard emails dating back to early 2023.
AI in the video game industry
These included alerts for approval of various AI tools such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion for creating concept art. Chief Technology Officer Michael Vance said at the time that AI tools were a “top priority” for the company.
There were also talks that the studio had secured access to GPT-3.5 and other AI tools that will be used to create concept art and marketing materials for various games.
By the end of the year, call of duty Cosmetics made with AI tools Available According to MassivelyOP, it will be sold in the game's cash shop.
It was subsequently revealed that many 2D artists at both Activision Blizzard and Microsoft had been fired, while others were allegedly forced to “use AI to assist in their work” and enroll in AI training.
The studio continued to do this even as it continued to assure employees that AI tools were being applied to support artists and completely replace them.
Former environmental artist, OverwatchMolly Warner said there is a lot of anxiety among artists in general about AI.
This issue comes despite promises from some studios, including Activision, that generative AI will only be used for concept art and other materials.
This technology Used GamesRadar is working to create something that will remain in the final game.
Replacing human workers
of Overwatch 2 The team's environment art team has also been cut in half, but it remains unclear whether artists working on the hero shooter have been given AI duties similar to those given to Activision Blizzard employees.
The video game industry appears to be the largest industry for AI technology to conquer, as its economic power is much greater than that of Hollywood.
In a recent survey conducted at the Game Developers Conference, 49% of over 3,000 respondents said they use AI technology at work.
“It's here now. It's definitely here,” said Violet, the game developer, adding that everyone is seeing the technology being used within the industry. She insisted that this is just one example. Case According to Wired , how and to what extent?
