Eldri Bell🐙🔔| Eldritch ENVtuber🔞 retweetledi
"I really wish we could stop politicizing the topic of AI."
Some thoughts on the use of generative AI in video games.
Recently, it was revealed that a game many of us, myself included, called Neverness to Everness, was using generative AI to produce various assets. Some of these include posters and billboards around the city, but more egregious examples are several AI animations featured on screens around the ingame world.
Even moreso, several creators and a voice actress have come out stating that they were assured by the company that no AI was used in the game.
Of course, there was a lot of outrage. And I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed.
I was disappointed that a game that I enjoyed so much, is now going to be tainted by this extremely toxic debate, when they could have so easily avoided it. Simply do what other games have done. Commission a few animations, and re-use some assets from other games.
They could very easily have just put advertisements for their other game, Tower of Fantasy, or other Perfect World titles. It would have been prime real estate to advertise their other games, and include easter eggs.
Hell, even product placement ads would have been perfectly logical in a game such as this. Many companies would have paid a lot of money to have their products and advertisements featured in a big city game like this.
And yet, they chose the path of generative AI. And with that choice, they have flagged what was turning out to be a happy and fun new gaming experience, into yet another situation where we have to debate about the ethics of AI.
Let me make certain that my opinion is clear on the matter of AI. As the owner of an art studio, I am not a fan of it. I think AI art is lazy, lacks soul, and cheapens the world of creative art and entertainment. In short, I believe it harms creatives, and the overwhelming prevalence of AI entertainment online, will worsen the experience for audiences.
And although it may sound extreme, it's my opinion that humanity would be better off if generative AI art, animation, and video would be outlawed entirely.
However, I am not a fan of the current state of the debate, and how toxic it has become.
Currently, it has very much become a war of ideologies. Those who are Anti-AI believe we should entirely boycott all games and companies that even attempts to dabble in AI, while others are either pro-AI usage for various reasons, or simply believe that those who are anti-AI are annoying and so seek to be contrarian because of it.
It has become very much a red versus blue issue, on the internet, I fear.
And I really wish it wouldn't. I wish we would all stand on the same side, and understand that no matter which political tribe you belong to, it is bad for all of us. For all artists and enjoyers of art alike.
Right now, I've seen many people say that Neverness to Everness is tainted. That any attempt the company may make to course-correct, will not matter to them.
I genuinely feel that this is the wrong approach. All that does, is embolden the other side. "See? They'll never be happy anyway," and encourage the company to continue their usage of AI. The company will feel that the opinion of those who dislike AI cannot shift for them, and so they will not bother.
But I would rather a company realize their mistake, and try to get the ENTIRETY of the community's support back, by changing the assets they used, than have the bridge be burnt altogether.
In the last year or so, I've seen the public sentiment shift away from being almost majority anti-AI to more and more people expressing pro-AI sentiment for reasons of contrarianism.
I really don't want people to become ambivalent towards AI usage, and become convinced that those who hold an anti-AI stance are "overreacting."
I wish we could extend a hand to developers who use AI, and show them a better path, rather than shun and blacklist them. Many likely don't know better, or have been presented with a false reality, and if we assume malice rather than ignorance, they will only be pushed away for good.
We need to show a human approach. Because preserving the human approach is the very reason why AI will forever be inferior to the human spirit.
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