A month ago, we reported that EA CEO Andrew Wilson was committed to using generative AI tools to increase the efficiency of EA's studios, but this week he announced that he was on a call with investors. Returning to this topic at the conference, EA developers themselves said they were “starving.” He said, “He is using AI for the project.
“We have conducted analysis across all development processes, and at this time, based on our initial assessment, we believe that more than 50% of development processes will be positively impacted by advances in generative AI.” Mr. Wilson answered. For questions about technology. “And we have a team within the company that is really trying to combat this.”
Wilson said EA will generate 40 years' worth of unique data and “feed” it (in an unspecified way) to AI models, improving efficiency over the next three years and potentially within five years or sooner. , the AI and the efficiency of these will improve to build “a larger world with more characters and more interesting stories.”
“And our developers have a strong desire to get to this as quickly as possible,” Wilson said. “Again, the holy grail for us is to build something bigger, more innovative, more creative, more fun. We can entertain people faster and on a global scale.”
Of course, it was only a few years ago that we heard from gaming industry executives about the huge potential of blockchain and the “metaverse,” but not so much anymore. Wilson, on the other hand, has not been as fully committed to cryptocurrencies as some of his peers, calling NFTs “an important part of the future of the industry,” and then saying that what's generally important is “collectability.” Stated. Still, it bears repeating that executives tend to get overly excited about new silver bullets, or, in Wilson's words, “holy grail” technologies.
However, the use of generative AI is really taking off across the gaming industry. Earlier this year, the Game Developers Conference published research showing that 31% of game developers are already using generative AI. While AI tools are primarily used for business, marketing, and management purposes, 25% say their studios involve generative AI in programming, and 21% say their game design uses generative AI. I answered yes.
Despite increasing acceptance by studio managers, most independent game developers are concerned about the ethics of using generative AI. His 42% of respondents to the GDC survey said they were “very concerned” about the issue, and a further 42% said they were “somewhat concerned.” ” and only 12% said they were not worried at all.
Wilson is likely referring to AI tools that are less sensational and controversial than audio and image generators. For example, developers are using his AI to automate tedious tasks like rigging 3D models. But his prediction goes far beyond improved efficiency. Wilson predicted last month that generative AI will not just be an internal development tool, but something that “his 3 billion players around the world” will use to create their own EA games. I said that there is. content. He restated his outlook this week.
“And looking out probably over a five-year period, how do we take all of the tools that we've created and deliver them to the entire community so that we can actually have something new and interesting and innovative? I think about it,” Wilson said. And different kinds of gaming experiences won't replace what we do, they'll enhance and enhance the nature of interactive entertainment in the same way YouTube has done with traditional movies and television. , is something that expands and expands. ”
I think machine learning has more transformative potential than blockchain technology to date, but I'm not confident that gaming industry executives can claim to know when or how that will happen. there is no. What I wonder about is how much joy players actually get from using and interacting with the generative AI. Already, the novelty of AI image generators seems to have worn off. “I asked an AI what such-and-such would look like” posts will no longer go viral. Now it seems like it's just being used to cut corners, create propaganda photos, and trick Facebook scrollers into saying “wow!” Below fake interior design photos.
In related news, Wilson also said in an investor call this week that the next Battlefield game will be an “amazing live service.”
