For a good while now, the gaming industry has been grappling with the controversial integration of generative Artificial Intelligence in game development, with more and more studios and publishers implementing it in a variety of ways. Other studios, however, are still keeping an eye on the technology, only using it as a tool to enhance the human touch that makes games special, such as Bethesda Game Studios with its cautious, hands-off approach.
In a recent appearance on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Bethesda’s studio head Todd Howard addressed again the hot topic of AI usage in video game development. While many fear that studios will eventually turn to automation for world-building and narrative, Howard clearly stated that Bethesda is currently not using the technology to generate game assets or writing.
"We're being like incredibly cautious," Howard explained. "Kind of viewing it as a tool, like an analyst. Look at the data in our games. We're not using it to generate anything. I think there's such an element of artistic intention that is essential to what we do and others do."
Howard likened the development process to that of a "craftsman," arguing that the human touch is what ultimately makes a project special. However, he was highlighted the speed at which the technology is evolving, noting that the industry's stance on AI is frequently changing.
"It's certainly not a fad," Howard admitted. "The AI answer now becomes 'ask me in six months.' It changes so much. You can't ignore it in terms of - it's coming, it's changing. Every few months there's a new model, particularly in the tech side with code or productivity."
According to Howard, Bethesda’s current interest in AI lies in "big data" tasks, letting it handle the back-end busywork that traditionally takes a lot of time for actual developers to complete. By using AI as an analyst, the studio hopes to clear away the "boring" work so that developers can focus on what matters most: the creative tasks.
"We just have so much data in our games… using those systems to like help us with that or validate some things that we're thinking, I think has a lot of use today," Howard concluded.
This news should come as a relief to anyone worried about The Elder Scrolls VI (which will be powered by Creation Engine 3, a new version of the studio's engine, as a former Bethesdadeveloper correctly predicted), the next big role-playing game in development by Bethesda. No matter how the game will turn out, the Bethesda feel should still be there, and if AI is indeed helping developers with busywork, it has the chance to be more prominent than ever before.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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