Ubisoft is actively venturing into the field of AI, believing that the technology has great potential in game development. Recently, the company released its fiscal year 2022-2023 report, announcing that it will go all out to promote the use of AI technology, which mentions the huge potential of generative AI technology in "creativity, workflow, and player experience."
In the report, Ubisoft said the world is adopting generative AI at a record pace, and GDC 2023 is also demonstrating the huge potential of this technology to profoundly transform the creative industries. With strong gaming technology expertise, more than 20 years of proprietary data and assets, and a rich product portfolio, Ubisoft has a rapid rate of early adoption in-house, and creators and developers at all levels are experimenting with the technology and taking advantage of the booming generative AI space. Together with them, Ubisoft is shaping a responsible framework with talent management and fair use at its core.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemott said on an investor call that he expects the use of the type of AI algorithm LLM (Large Language Model) to continue to grow when it comes to creative aspects of game development and will also help improve the company's "workflow." He also predicts that the growth of AI will make it easier for players to "actually participate in the creation of events and content," apparently implying that at some point, you just tell the AI what you think about and it will make mods.
The initiative raises some concerns that AI could replace some of the jobs in game development. For example, Blizzard recently filed a patent for an AI system designed to generate in-game artwork. In addition, Prime Matter's promotional tweet on System Shock, in which the use of Midjourney AI software to visualize what an evil AI Shandan might look like in a game, generated a strong response.
Ubisoft has also caused controversy over NFTs. In January 2022, Ubisoft Vice President Nicolas Pouard stated that players simply "don't understand" the value of NFTs in games, but in September of the same year, Guillemat appeared to retract the company's commitment to a blockchain-based future, stating that Ubisoft was only "researching" the topic.
The problems with AI can be more hidden than NFTs, which are a different type of ethical and moral dilemma. Considering the discordant state of Ubisoft's management and employees over the past few years, there are concerns about the company adopting AI technology so quickly.
In general, Ubisoft is actively promoting the adoption of AI technology, believing that it has great potential in game development. However, the plan also raises concerns that Ubisoft needs to carefully consider all potential impacts and develop a responsible framework to govern the use of AI technology.