Embracer Group believes AI will ‘empower’ game developers
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The company says it doesn’t want to replace developers with AI.
By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.
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Image: Crystal Dynamics
Embracer Group, the gaming giant that has the rights to big franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider, detailed how it’s thinking about the use of artificial intelligence for game development in its latest annual report.
The conglomerate, which recently split into three separate companies, has adopted a “Group AI Policy” that it says is based on the notion of “empowerment.” While the report doesn’t include the text of the policy, there’s a chunk of text in the report’s “Risk and Mitigation Overview” section that seems to offer a summary of its stance on AI:
AI has the capability to massively enhance game development by increasing resource efficiency, adding intelligent behaviors, personalization, and optimization to gameplay experiences. By leveraging AI, we create more engaging and immersive experiences that provide each player with a unique, dynamic, and personalized experience. We also see great opportunities for AI in game development speed, logistics and planning. Embracer Group also understands the potential risks associated with the use of AI.
Our aim is to empower our employees with AI applications.
Developers have expressed concerns about the use of AI in making games and how AI might affect their jobs. Those concerns might be particularly high regarding any AI initiatives from Embracer given the company’s recent layoffs. But Tomas Hedman, Embracer’s head of privacy and AI governance, says the company doesn’t want to use AI in place of humans.
“We do not want to replace people with AI, we want to empower them,” according to a statement from Hedman in the report. “This is the core of our human-centric approach to leveraging the potential with AI.” Hedman also argues that AI can “open up coding to a broader group of developers” by lowering the barrier to making games.
That said, Embracer believes it needs to adopt AI to stay competitive. In a heat map, Embracer identifies “non implementation of AI” as a potential “major” risk. “Not using AI for relevant tasks within Embracer Group will lead to us losing competitiveness and being outrun by our competitors,” the company says. Embracer also tracks AI governance as a potential risk, noting that the use of AI is “subject to general as well as specific laws and requirements.”
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