A look at how generative AI has already begun to transform the game development process, how the industry is responding, and where we go from here.
It was only a little more than four months ago that OpenAI’s ChatGPT was unleashed on the public, and roughly six months since we first dug into the topic of generative AI (GenAI) in gaming for Naavik Digest (“Why AI Will Upend the Games Industry”). Given that we’ve now had a couple quarters to process these developments, it seemed like a good opportunity to gauge the market’s early reactions and get a feel for how industry practitioners are putting these powerful new tools to work in the game development pipeline.
The reactions to GenAI’s barreling hype train have been, predictably, polarized. Critics have voiced a range of concerns about the use of generative AI. Some hold the view that the technology is not applicable to real game development or cannot produce work that meets commercial game standards. Others express unease about proper creator attribution, legal protection of copyrighted works, and lack of safeguards against theft. Furthermore, many industry practitioners worry that automation may replace jobs.
As a humble games industry observer, I’ll refrain from offering any professional analysis on the more extreme AI doubters citing the potential…
