Hartmann made these comments in a recent interview with IGN, when asked about the major performers strike recently called by the SAG-AFTRA union after it failed to negotiate satisfactory protections for its members concerning the use of AI.

“I mean, I have to be careful here because we are a large company and have to deal with all these organizations, so I don’t really want to get involved,” he said. “But when we talk about AI, first of all, hopefully it will help us come up with new gameplay ideas, which doesn’t involve taking work away from anyone.”

“And especially for games, we don’t really have acting… The majority of the team works in programming, and that’s not going to change because it’s all about innovation. If AI impacts anything, it will be the more mundane aspects.”

Earlier, Hartmann expressed his hope that AI could accelerate video game development, as it currently “takes way too long, like five years per game.”

“Ideally, we can reduce that to three years so we can iterate more, which would also lower budgets a bit. I don’t think costs will dramatically decrease, but at least you can fail faster and keep going until you find the right approach.”

SAG-AFTRA’s strike was initiated last month after the union was unable to secure acceptable protections for its members regarding AI usage.

SAG-AFTRA had been in negotiations with various video game companies and their performance production branches since October 2022, including Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, EA Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games.

Chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland commented: “The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit each year. The driving force behind that success is the creative individuals who design and create these games.”

“That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the AI use of their faces, voices, and bodies.”

“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from last year’s lessons – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI, and the public supports us in that.”

A spokesperson for the video game producers party to the Interactive Media Agreement expressed disappointment that the union had chosen to walk away “when we are so close to a deal.”

Source: VideoGameChronicles