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Former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has shared his views on AI in game development, saying that he finds "the cases where AI is part of the game's content the most interesting." He also describes how "both indie and larger studios are using AI in every aspect of game development."
In an interview with Game*Spark that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Yoshida discusses how AI is currently being used in the industry, and where he thinks the technology will go in the future. "Generative AI is being used to create concept art for game proposals," Yoshida says. "[It] is used to read voice lines during development. It seems like AI is usually used on-site in order to save time. And because big games are difficult to run play tests for, AI plays the game instead of a player for the sake of efficiency."
However, he claims that currently AI is mostly used at the development level, and is rarely present in the final product. This is the area that Yoshida is most interested in, and he believes "creative uses for AI are being born out of the indie scene."
He gives the example of a self-proclaimed "mystery novel crossed with a lateral thinking game" called Hanashi no Hanashi. AI plays the role of the game's suspects, and you can interrogate them by typing in your questions. "It's incredible that you can interact with a game in your own words rather than choosing from a number of preset options," says Yoshida. "I feel as if this type of idea can only take shape so quickly in indie games."
As for the future of AI in gaming, he believes that AI 'agents' could be a part of every game. "They might recommend new things to the player that they'd like," says Yoshida. "Or tell them 'this item would be good to use' during gameplay. It would be like having a skilled friend sitting next to you and giving you advice. If you have this kind of experience, playing a game is more fun."
