As Mobidictum, we have approached the topic of generative AI not only from a technology standpoint but also from the social aspect of it. We have covered its uses and the revolutionary effects that it has brought to the horizon. We also covered the controversies that AI has created and the concerns it caused that it will render jobs obsolete and leave so many people unemployed. Finally, Tom Pigott – CEO and Founder of Ludo AI, provided another perspective with his article exclusive to Mobidictum.
The Human Factor – What Generative AI Isn’t
The advent of generative AI has sparked a range of discourse from those outside the realms of creative technology. It is worth noting that AI is not a magical box that can read your mind and conjure ideas out of thin air. Ultimately – and fundamentally – AI advancements are just another tool. Without the human touch at the helm, these tools are not as productive as people would have you believe.
Many are also concerned about jobs being lost due to these advancements. Is it true that generative AI will impact the labor market? Of course. But emerging technology has been impacting people’s lives and careers for decades, with similar concerns being raised during the inception of the internet and, further back, the industrial revolution. As with any revolutionary, disruptive technological milestone, it is clear that generative AI will also have an impact on the job market. However, I believe the ultimate effects will be mixed: some jobs will be replaced by AI, but others will be enhanced or even created as a result.
In the games industry, for example, a game completely built by AI hasn’t yet emerged, and in my view, designers, developers, and artists are still extremely necessary to bring a game to life from inception. What generative AI can do, however, is free these professionals up to focus on the other components of game development and lower the bar to entry for budding industry professionals. It’s key for these professionals in all industries can adapt to these changes by staying up to date with the latest AI developments and cultivating skills that complement, rather than compete with, AI technology.
Although it may take time to fully embrace, creators must acknowledge that this technology is here to stay and thus take advantage of the opportunities it presents.
Students and Hobbyists – An Opportunity to Get Ahead of the Curve
With the ability to brainstorm ideas at a larger scale and quicker pace, it’s not just established game studios that can benefit from this new wave of technology.
Creative empowerment on a grassroots level is something that critics don’t often mention when pushing back against AI. These tools are making it easier for students and hobbyists to truly get involved in creative industries – and this is something that should be celebrated and encouraged. The barrier to entry is continuously being significantly lowered with these advancements, and now these groups are able to prototype, ideate and create without a significant cost to time, resources, or finances.
Resource allocation and time allocation are two of the biggest asks for students, so it’s no surprise to see so many of them flock to these platforms. As an industry, we should celebrate this, as we should with those who may have previously felt that game development was something out of reach for them. Because generative AI is stripping away barriers to entry, those at the beginning of their development careers – students and amateurs alike who are primed to stay on top of the latest technological advancements, will be able to see much faster progress on their initial projects and beyond.
The Indie Studio Experience
With the rise of visual AI generation projects such as DALL-E-2 and Midjourney, it’s becoming increasingly clear that 3D asset creation is an area where AI can significantly aid developers. As of yet, no games have been released that were predominantly created via AI, so we cannot yet conceptualize what such a game will feel like. However, with the use of generative AI tools, game developers will be able to increase variety in asset creation while working alongside their creative intuition.
This approach will allow for endless possibilities of experimentation and variation, resulting in almost instantaneous asset creation that saves time and resources. Additionally, by utilizing AI in this way, smaller game development studios can compete with AAA studios by utilizing this cutting-edge technology and reducing the need for large, costly teams of artists and designers.
AI models themselves are also becoming increasingly democratized, becoming more powerful on ever-shrinking devices – which removes yet another barrier to entry and lets individuals experiment with this technology on their own terms. With this, AI will potentially inspire an entirely new generation of indie developers who would have otherwise been dissuaded from pursuing their careers after looking at the current global financial situation.
Moreover, AI is already greatly impacting other crucial aspects of game design, such as dialogue, music, and sound effects. As AI continues to evolve, it is transforming the traditional game design process, making it faster and more efficient for everyone, from the seasoned game design professional to the newcomer.
Conclusion
The disruptive nature of AI in our industry cannot be denied – to succeed in this new era means to swiftly identify how to best take advantage of this new tool in our collective toolset. It will take time to truly understand the full impact and potential of AI, especially in conjunction with other new exciting technologies such as blockchain and Web3. Will it lead to the advent of blockchain-enabled AI-integrated AAA titles? Maybe, or maybe not, but the technology is new enough that the possibilities seem limitless – especially to those studios with near-limitless wallets. However, the benefits of generative AI can be experienced by developers at every level and in every aspect of game creation. In short, we are likely entering into the next era of gaming, and that is always an exciting prospect.
Tom Pigott
CEO and Founder of Ludo AI
Tom Pigott is a seasoned tech entrepreneur and investor. He graduated from Stanford University in 1991. In 1997, he started his first company, Soma.com, just as the Internet was taking off. Tom started a mobile game studio and began to integrate some early AI models into the development process. Ludo.ai was the result of these AI models, and launched as a SaaS tools company for game studios in 2021.
