According to Level-5’s CEO, continuing to create a negative perception of artificial intelligence could slow the progress of modern digital technology.

The use of generative artificial intelligence in game development has been a controversial topic, and it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino shared his thoughts after Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lost the Indie Game Awards’ Game of the Year title. On Twitter, Hino explained that, in his view, generative AI offers significant time savings that cannot be ignored, and that portraying AI usage as something inherently bad could seriously hinder the progress of modern digital technology.

Hino began by clarifying a point regarding content-creation AI in relation to one of Level-5’s upcoming titles, following accusations that the studio was relying entirely on generative AI for programming. The developer of Professor Layton and Ni No Kuni denied this, calling it a misunderstanding. Hino then went on to further share his views on generative AI, emphasizing that it is ultimately a tool that cannot be ignored.

今日はめずらしく、自分が作っているゲームの話ではないことを書きます。

【AIをめぐる騒動について】…

— 日野晃博 (@AkihiroHino) December 26, 2025

“The truth is that there is an unreleased title whose theme involves AI, and a programmer mentioned that AI would even be intentionally entrusted with programming. This was cited as an example of how such an era might be approaching, and it became an overly exaggerated story. AI enables time savings that cannot be ignored, and I believe it could overturn long-standing assumptions in game development. We may move away from a world where developing AAA titles takes five to ten years, and instead find ourselves in one where we can enjoy them every two years. AI is sometimes treated as synonymous with plagiarism, but a knife can be used for cooking or as a weapon; a computer can create games or enable cybercrime. When misused, AI can result in plagiarized content, but when used properly, it can further enrich the creative world.

I want to see games continue to evolve during my lifetime. I want to experience and create dreamlike games that surpass today’s AAA titles. If we allow the perception that ‘using AI is evil’ to take hold, it could seriously hinder the progress of modern digital technology. I hope both creators and audiences recognize that AI is a tool used by people to create their works. I hope various technological innovations will lead to even greater growth in the game industry!”, Hino wrote.

The question is how much criticism this stance will bring upon Level-5.

Source: WCCFTech