The use of AI has become something of a problem, not least in the world of film and art. Because while some see it as the next big thing for the industry, others are far more reserved and many workers are worried about the jobs that could be lost in its wake.
But one person who really thinks AI is great, and that it's the future of the games industry, is EA president Laura Miele, who in an interview with Bloomberg echoed much of what even the game studio's top dog, Andrew Wilson, himself said earlier this year.
During the conversation, Miele emphasised how EA has always been an AI-centric company and referred to how even the very first Madden game from 1988 used artificial intelligence. She also went on to explain how incredibly transformative the new form of AI will be for the industry, how it will benefit EA's business model and streamline workflows.
"It's definitely going to optimize what we have for tools and workflows and help our developers, and players, create better experiences. It's also going to be a significant expander of content and frequency and how we show up."
People's concern that AI will eliminate many jobs is something that Andrew Wilson himself identified as a legitimate risk (as per Gamespot), and he compared the situation in the gaming world to the agricultural revolution when many people lost their jobs and were replaced by machines. Ultimately, however, Wilson is convinced that there will be "other jobs" for those who are side-lined by AI.
EA itself is deeply invested in AI, and five years ago it claimed to have more than 1,000 employees working on a new internal game development tool based on artificial intelligence. Something they call "Project Atlas". So it is perhaps unsurprising that the company's executives are now praising the technology and its progress.
What role do you think AI will play in industry in the coming years, and do you see it as positive or negative?