Gaming Companies Think AI Can Replace Their Artists

Many industries, including gaming companies, are laying off their talents to replace them with AI.

• They seem to be under the impression that this “downsizing” plan is sustainable.
• Companies’ overzealous attitude towards tech will most probably cause its downfall.

Gaming companies have been replacing their artists with AI, having learned nothing from the companies that regretted their “downsizing” schemes.

Companies across the board have been making headlines recently for laying off their employees ‘en masse,’ with many deciding to replace the workforce with AI. A pattern we’ve seen often.

An Ugly Pattern

When something new and exciting that promises to do the jobs of multiple employees comes out, every company jumps at the chance to downsize. In their defense, the allure of efficiency, cost savings, and doing more with less is quite tempting. However, many come to regret this. What they repeatedly forget is that technology is a tool at the end of the day, incapable of mustering even an iota of human talent. The best it can do is mimic.

Enemy of Creators

Currently, AI has made an enemy out of all artists, not by choice. Companies decided that since an AI system can do the same thing for a fraction of the price, there’s no need to hire professionals, affecting every industry, especially gaming companies.

When COVID-19 hit, people were stuck inside, looking for any way to pass the time. The natural solution to many people’s seemingly endless boredom was video games. There was something for everyone, and gaming companies reaped the benefits.

And for a while, all was fine in the pixelated land…. until AI crashed through the window, bribing executives with lower expenses and higher profits. Little by little, gaming companies began laying off their designers and developers.

Talking to the BBC, Jess Hyland, a video game artist with about 15 years of experience, expressed her discontent with the recent unraveling, saying, “Everyone knows someone who’s been laid off. There’s lots of worry about the future.” She then pointed out that “The people who are most excited about AI enabling creativity aren’t creatives.”

What Comes up Must Come Down

Right now, gaming companies, among others in tech-oriented industries, are flying high off AI. One can blame AI companies for possibly overselling their AI models with flowery language about how AI can save development time, free workers up to focus on creativity, and provide a more personalized user experience. But they aren’t the ones who took the bait.

The ramifications of their decision are showing now, as they have been hiring artists to fix the system’s output. It won’t be long before every industry that overzealously implements AI starts feeling the impact.

Because that’s what happens, isn’t it? A couple of years ago, Silicon Valley was bursting at the seams with startups. Banks were giving them loans and people were investing like mad people in them, just for all those dreams to come crashing down. Those startups made promises they could not deliver and hired a lot more people than they realistically needed.

Final Thoughts

Industries’ enthusiasm to implement the latest in technology is admirable, but not thinking it through and then prioritizing it above literal human talent is not the proper way to go about it.

Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Ethical Tech section to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.