AI ‘makes more games, creates more jobs’

Artificial intelligence will lead to more jobs in the video game industry, one of the groups representing game developers told the BBC.

Dr. Richard Wilson, head of TIGA, says AI will “reduce the cost of making games and speed up the process.”

Video games have used forms of artificial intelligence for decades.

However, the use of modern technology in game production has caused some to worry that it could cut labor costs and cause legal problems for studios.

The UKIE, another body that oversees UK gaming companies, said it was aware of concerns, but added that developments in the area represent an “exciting opportunity” for the industry.

Even in the 1980s, players would throw coins into arcade machines to help Pac-Man (or Ms. Pac-Man) collect white dots on the screen, a sort of AI that taught ghosts how to hunt down players.

“This is a much simpler form of AI compared to what we are talking about today, but basically the core principles are the same,” says game AI expert Dr. Tommy Thompson.

“It allows you to make smart decisions because you can look at snapshots of the game and make smart decisions about what your characters should do.”

But while AI has been used for years to influence what happens onscreen, it can now influence the process of getting a game onto the screen in the first place.

Being able to quickly create hundreds of pages of scripts, voice background characters and draw thousands of artworks could be a game changer for the industry, some executives said.

“This allows game studios to automate mundane parts of game development and use that space more creatively to focus on other areas,” says Dr. Wilson.

“Reducing overall development costs should mean more game studios, and therefore more work.”

Guy Gudney, one of the co-founders of Charisma.ai, a technology platform that brings generative AI techniques to games, believes this will give makers new ways to tell stories.

It all comes down to how the computer-controlled character can interact with the player.

Instead of randomly spewing out a handful of pre-written lines to the player, AI allows such characters to “think” and react more intelligently depending on the story being written and the actions of the player.

He explains: “In games, a player often runs through his 3D environment, but we want people to stop and be more involved.

“We want players to dig deeper into moments where they can sit down and have a natural conversation with a character. Previously, this was achieved by giving four dialogue choices on screen, which is very limited and just an illusion of choice. We want more than that.”

For Guy Gadney, unlocking the potential of non-playable characters will change the way games tell stories by allowing players to interact with what’s in front of them in different ways. Charisma.ai is also working with companies such as Warner, DreamWorks and Sky on how the technology works in other forms of storytelling.

This week’s BBC News focuses on AI, how this technology will affect our lives, and how it may affect us in the near future.

Dr. Tommy Thompson, who also has a dedicated YouTube channel for AI in games, is excited about the technology’s potential. But he also warns that the industry needs to be cautious.

He said it’s “impractical” for studios to use widely available, open-access AI tools in their current form for games.

“Who owns the copyright? For image generation, for example, there are several ongoing lawsuits asking whether my art was used as the basis for image generation or whether appropriate consent was obtained.

“If you’re using some AI platform to generate assets for your game, you don’t own the copyright to it on legal grounds. If you ship that game, anyone can use that asset and incorporate it into another game, and there’s absolutely no legal basis to stop it. The law would say, ‘In fact, you didn’t own the copyright.'”

Some game studios are creating their own AI platforms to get around these issues, but that’s time-consuming and expensive. Dr. Thompson says the risks currently outweigh the benefits for smaller gaming companies that might be drawn to open-source AI tools.

“I think it’s important to take a step back and consider the bigger implications of this,” he says.

“This is not something that can be solved overnight. It’s not that generative AI tools aren’t being used in studios in new and very interesting ways, but I don’t think it’s going to be Nirvana the way people envision it.”

“As the video game industry is always at the cutting edge of technology, we are already leveraging AI in many areas such as production, art, in-game character interaction and community management to create even more exciting and engaging experiences for players,” UKIE co-CEO Daniel Wood said in a statement to the BBC.

“While the UKIE and the broader industry will continue to focus on topics such as copyright and the rapidly changing skill needs of the gaming business, the future potential of AI promises many exciting opportunities for our sector.”

For more of the game’s story, listen to “Press X to Continue” on BBC Sounds.