We’ve been seeing the AI-related opinions a video game creator bandied about a bit already over the past few days, with Smash Bros’ director Masahiro Sakurai being ever-so-slightly mistranslated in his thoughts over the use of the new tech in artistic endeavours.
Now Level-5’s CEO, Akihiro Hino, has been put in a bit of a similar situation, it seems. According to some reports that have popped up online in the past day or two, Hino had said that “Right now, around 80~90% of games are made by AI” when asked about the technology during an interview.
However, and as explained thoroughly by Nintendo Patents Watch in a social media post, Hino’s statement was taken right out of context for the sake of drama.
Indeed, reading through Nintendo Patents Watch’s translation, it sounds like Hino isn’t particularly keen on AI as a creative tool at all, whilst acknowledging its uses. As the translation of Hino’s words put it:
“…creativity cannot be completely handed over to AI, it is more of a tool for communication and efficiency improvement. For example, some planners who don’t know how to draw can use AI to generate sketches to help express ideas and facilitate communication with artists.”
The key here is that AI is more of an assistant, something which helps rather than actually does. He backs this further in the article:
“But the very content generated by AI will not be directly used in the game…AI can help us handle certain things more efficiently … but to complete the enormous game volume it requires the creatives to produce and direct the final content output.”
Hino also addresses fans who complained about game delays, such as Fantasy Life i, despite the studio reportedly using AI. However, that’s “not the case”. And given the size of that game, well, it’s not surprising it took so long to come out. And it’s fantastic.
So, that actually sounds fairly reasonable, or as reasonable as one can be when seeking to hold AI up in a positive light, we guess. Much as was the case with Sakurai, this is just another situation where cherry-picked quotes have been taken out of context.
How do you feel about Akihiro Hino’s take on AI’s use within the game industry? Make sure to let us know!
