In the wake of Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian's controversial comments on the use of AI in the new Divinity, as well as GOTY winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's own use of AI resurfacing, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lead writer Daniel Vávra has opted to share his own take on the future of AI in games – and it's genuinely terrifying.
"I'm no fan of AI generated art, but anyway, it's time to face reality. AI is here to stay with us. As frightening as it may be, that's the way it is," said Vávra in a nearly 700-word Twitter tirade. "Personally, it scares me the most in the music because you can't even recognise AI there anymore."
That's not the scary part, by the way. The scary part was when he predicted AI could bring about the end of humankind. But hey, at least it'll be easier to make video games for those of us who make it through the apocalypse.
"The whole AI revolution may mean the demise of humanity, nobody knows now, but it may also mean that ANYONE, at a fraction of the current cost, will be able to implement virtually any grand idea," Vávra said. "Making a game will be as easy as writing a book. There will be more games. We'll see the return of niche genres. Some games will be better. Maybe just a few. There will be also lot of trash. But who cares? There is lots of average trash in books or music for years."
Of course, there's no predicting the trajectory of AI – not only in the games industry, but on a much more existential level, too. Not everyone's as bullish as Vávra, who seems assured AI will be as revolutionary as the most formative inventions of the industrial age.
"Resisting this is probably as meaningful as resisting the use of sewing machines in the textile industry," he said. "Or going back to riding on horses while we could use planes and cars. How many horse breeders lost their jobs thanks to Henry Ford!?"
Specifically, Vávra said "programmers have a problem" and "most big publishers" are going the way of the dodo, along with "Hollywood as we know it," but at age 50, the seasoned game developer has fully embraced AI as a way to bring his ideas to life more efficiently. "If AI can help me make an epic game in a year with a smaller team like in the old days, I'm all for it."
As much as it's natural to bristle at the thought of AI reducing team sizes, Vávra at least seems to be referring largely to non-generative AI here, adding, "That game will still have an art director, writers, programmers, graphic designers, but they won't have to do the tiresome and boring tasks, they'll have to focus on the essentials."
One very specific feature he envisions becoming a product of advanced AI in games are NPCs with endless interaction variety.
"Wouldn't it be nice if you could ask ANYONE ANYTHING in an RPG? Like, maybe someone for the road directions?" he said. "Or what they think of their neighbors? We already have tools (11labs can do it) where you script a NPC, their character, their knowledge and opinions and then they talk to you about anything.
"For non-story stuff, this is an absolutely revolutionary development from a player's point of view. And you can't record it with an actor because it has INFINITE variations. But what you can record are cutscenes and story dialogue. You dont need an Oscar level performance when ordering a sausage in a pub or when asking how to get to the castle."
OK, so he definitely seems on-board with some level of generative AI for performances in games here, which, uh, is a little controversial. Even a producer at Larian recently spoke out against relegating minor voice lines to AI, saying it takes away opportunities from up and coming actors.
