Cyberpunk 2077 quest lead Pawel Sasko has revealed CD Projekt Red has experimented with AI generation, but he reckons it'll still be a very, very long time before the tech can compete with human-created characters.
In an interview with Aftermath (thanks, PC Gamer), Sasko confirmed what isn't entirely surprising: CDPR has done some R&D on AI generation. Sakso didn't get into specifics with regards to CDPR and AI, but the practice is becoming increasingly more commonplace. Many, many big studios are exploring the potential for AI software in game development, and in a lot of cases have progressed a lot further than the R&D stage.
What's interesting, and slightly - dare I say it - hopeful, is that Sasko suggested he's seen what AI is capable of and doesn't think it's anywhere near being competent enough to replicate actual, human being writing.
Although he admitted that AI could "make the reactions of NPCs [to players' specific actions] a bit more authentic," Sasko said "when it comes to writing and voice acting, there's just a gigantic, really long way to go. I've seen a lot behind the scenes. There is a visible gap between authored content – the bespoke content that writers, quest designers, cinematic designers make with their own hands – and something that AI can provide."
Talking specifically about Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the acclaimed 2023 expansion and the conclusion of the main game's story, Sasko said he could "only yet imagine how AI could get even close," and added, "The gap in quality, specifically, is huge. It's like a canyon."
Of course, no one knows how quickly AI-generated scripting will advance and thus can't say with any certainty if and when it'll overtake human-created content in terms of quality, but it's already multitudes more efficient. For his part, Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke says AI is "a tool that we use to help us do things faster" but doesn't think "it'll ever replace a creative side" of development.
Baldur's Gate 3, The Witcher, and Final Fantasy 16 actors recently weighed in on AI fears.
