Game developers hit back at The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann following controversial AI comments: "I'd hope he'd know better than to look at AI as some kind of magic wand"

Game developers have been hitting back at comments made by The Last of Us director and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, who recently stated that artificial intelligence will allow devs to take on "more adventurous projects and push the boundaries of storytelling in games."

The use of AI is a highly controversial topic, whether it's in game development itself, the world of voice acting, art, or beyond. Recent times have brought more debates about the ethics of AI – from the concerns of it replacing the jobs of actual humans, potential plagiarism problems (AI has to learn from existing material, after all), and, of course, if AI-generated material can actually be as good as something hand-crafted by a team of passionate people. 

With that in mind, Druckmann expressing his support for certain uses of AI in game development hasn't gone down well with everyone. To be exact, while he vaguely acknowledges the "ethical issues we need to address," he states AI can reduce "costs and technical hurdles" to allow developers to "push the boundaries of storytelling in games." He also adds that AI will allow Naughty Dog to "create nuanced dialogues and characters, expanding creative possibilities," and refers to certain tools becoming "obsolete" when discussing the studio's transition from hand-drawn animation to motion capture.

"If you read the interview, it's pretty telling that his idea of storytelling is all about direction. The only thing preventing AI from improving on Naughty Dog's own writers, apparently, is the ability to provide it [with] nuanced direction. 'Some ethical issues' aside, evidently," Dragon Age setting creator David Gaider alleges on Twitter.

"This ignores the idea that collaboration is a thing," he continues. "That all those people who work under a director didn't get into games just to be paid less and worked – they are all storytellers at heart, and they love games. They're not an impediment to be cast aside for an AI Yes Man."

Gaider adds that Druckmann "deserves his props" and that of course "good game design and vision IS important," but ultimately, "I guess I'd hope he'd know better than to look at AI as some kind of magic wand."

Freelance game writer and narrative designer Nessa Cannon, who currently works as the lead writer for Star Trucker, raises concerns over the quality of story content generated by AI. "I'd love to watch a video of him attempting to use AI to 'push the boundaries of storytelling,'" she writes, adding that she'd want to see Druckmann convince her that ChatGPT-generated content, created from allegedly "mashing together bits from cliché writing books and stolen work," could be considered "revolutionary."

Others have taken clear stances on Druckmann's recent statements without so much as uttering a word. Responding to one quote, RPG veteran and Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer simply posts the meme image of football manager José Mourinho pulling off his headphones with a pained look on his face, which really says it all.

Just yesterday, Sony's CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, said that although AI "has been used for creation," ultimately, it's "not a substitute for human creativity." Furthermore, Yoshida added that the company positions AI as "a technology that supports creativity."

Be sure to check out our list of upcoming PS5 games to see what releases are around the corner.