Using artificial intelligence in video game development is a controversial topic. Some people think it helps studios work faster, while others worry it could replace real jobs. EA CEO Andrew Wilson says that is not happening at Electronic Arts. According to him, AI is helping the company hire more people at EA, not fewer.
During an interview at the iicon gaming event, Wilson explained that AI is mainly being used as a support tool, not as a replacement for human work. He said that around 85% of quality assurance work at EA is now handled by machine learning systems and artificial intelligence, especially for simple tasks like “boot up” checks and “crash” testing.
“I saw some data recently, I think, now almost all—like 85%—of our quality assurance [work] is done with some kind of machine learning or AI-driven algorithm,” Wilson said. Even with that, he claims the company is hiring more QA staff than ever before, because people are still needed to review and understand the data that these AI systems provide.
Wilson said that AI’s role is “almost entirely augmentation,” meaning it helps developers focus on the more creative parts of game development by removing repetitive tasks. Previously, he also claimed that AI could make development around 30% more efficient within three years. As an example, he explained that building a stadium for sports games, which once took six months, can now be done in just six weeks.
However, these statements still raise questions. Battlefield 6 is a clear example. Even though it had a record-breaking launch, Battlefield Studios still went through major layoffs – and allegedly features AI generated cosmetics. This makes it harder to fully believe that AI is only helping workers and not also being used to justify job cuts.
In related news, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 translator claims he was laid off after nearly four years as Warhorse Studios reportedly turns to AI to reduce costs.
