If you thought a Reddit AMA from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developer Warhorse Studios would result in the devs getting buried in smarmy questions about replacing humans with AI, given that a KCD2 translator just said he was fired by the studio and replaced by AI, you'd be correct. The devs also saw this coming, but "decided to go in head first" anyway, says creative director Prokop Jirsa.
A now-verified post from translator Max Hejtmanek accused Warhorse of terminating his position to "'save finances'" despite the enormous success of the studio's RPGs. He also said his position had been made "'obsolete'" in favor of using AI for "all translations going forward."
Warhorse declines to directly refute these arguments in multiple responses on today's Reddit AMA. It does, however, insist that it values human creativity above all.
"It was a really hot topic in our offices whether to do this AMA, but it gives us the opportunity to clear the air. Let’s see if we manage that," Jirsa says, starting us off.
One user asked the gathering of devs, "Which one of the five of you could most easily be replaced with AI, and when will you be doing so?"
"Hopefully none of us, and never. And that applies to the whole team," Jirsa responds.
Pressed on Hejtmanek's case, Jirsa adds: "This touches on internal HR matters, so I can’t comment on any present or past employee. That would be deeply unprofessional. What I can say is that we plan to have the same amount of human translators as we did on KCD2."
One wide-eyed, straight-faced Redditor said, "I always dreamt of working as a translator for Warhorse Studios, do you think I have a chance?"
Jirsa fields this one as well, saying, "Definitely. We are currently in the process of hiring new translators. Yes, actual humans. Plural."
A comment, not reply, from the official Warhorse Reddit account sums all of this up. "We hear you and your concerns," it begins. "Hopefully this explains the situation a bit. We do not see AI as a substitute for human work, and we are currently looking to expand the company, including our translation team.
"Some team members find AI useful during early stages of production. However, we do not use AI-generated content in the final game and we have no plans to change this in the future. Thanks for being with us today," the studio concludes.
This does, of course, leave Hejtmanek's situation hanging rather conspicuously in the air. We don't get a crystal-clear response in the entire AMA, though we have gotten slightly more than the studio's previous, cagey statement after this AI mess kicked off. As a refresher, the studio said at the time:
"Warhorse Studios has always been a talent-driven studio, and we deeply value the people who shape our work. Out of respect for the privacy and dignity of both current and former colleagues, we will not discuss individual situations publicly."
