One of the key staff behind smash hit action-adventure game Black Myth: Wukong has come out strongly against using AI in the creative process.
Speaking with the BAFT Breakthrough 2024 cohort, lead performance director Beth Parker was asked her opinion on games that use AI.
“I can’t really see myself welcoming AI voices, because I think you’re going to lose the element that people care about when they’re interacting with characters in games, which is human, chaotic emotion, which AI might be able to replicate in intonation, but it will never, ever be able to replicate; you know, the feeling behind something.”
Parker added, “And I think that matters… I think when you play games, you have to really care about the story in the world that you’re in. And I think that matters. And I think companies that are going to cut out that element are losing value in the products that they’re making. I can see that AI can be a tool in some cases, but you know, if people are suffering, and in order for that to happen, then surely that’s a bad thing. That’s my stance on it.”
The debate about using AI to substitute humans in the art world has been an ongoing hot debate in the gaming world, not to mention the publishing world and Hollywood.
The reason often cited by the pro-AI side is that companies can save money by utilizing AI, meanwhile, opponents such as Michael Bay and nor Beth Parker have criticized corporations who rely on AI for churning out low-quality product that lacks personality.
Gamers themselves tend to oppose AI being used to replace humans, as documented in a September YouGov study which found that 65% of gamers were in favor of banning game companies with replacing actors without getting their permission.
A whopping 77% opposed replacing storywriters with AI writing programs. Meanwhile, the same study found that only 19% of gamers believed that AI could sometimes produce better work than humans.
Beth Parker concluded her AI remarks with the promise that no part of Black Myth: Wukong which she was involved with used any sort of AI, nor was it likely that she ever would use it. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
Black Myth: Wukong has been available since August 2024, for Microsoft Windows (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) and PS5. An Xbox Series X|S release is planned.
