PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst recently shared his perspective on AI's role in gaming, emphasizing its revolutionary potential while underscoring the irreplaceable value of human creativity. Read on to learn more about his views and PlayStation's future plans after 30 years in the industry.
AI: A Revolution, Not a Replacement
The Dual Demand in Gaming
In an interview with the BBC, Sony Interactive Entertainment co-CEO Hermen Hulst acknowledged AI's capacity to revolutionize gaming. However, he stressed that it can never fully replicate the unique "human touch" integral to game development.
Sony and PlayStation, celebrating 30 years since the launch of the original PlayStation in 1994, have witnessed firsthand the industry's evolution and technological advancements. The rise of artificial intelligence is one such significant development, prompting discussions about its impact on game development.
Concerns exist regarding AI's potential to displace human developers. While AI streamlines mundane tasks, increasing efficiency, fears remain that its capabilities could extend to the creative process, leading to job losses. This concern is highlighted by the recent strike by American voice actors, protesting the use of generative AI to replace their work in games, a situation drawing particular attention from the Genshin Impact community due to noticeable reductions in English voice-overs in recent updates.
A CIST market research survey reveals that approximately two-thirds of game development studios already utilize AI to optimize workflows, primarily for rapid prototyping, concepting, asset creation, and world-building.
Hulst emphasized the need for a balance between leveraging AI and preserving the human element, predicting a "dual demand" in gaming: one for AI-driven innovation and another for meticulously handcrafted content.
PlayStation itself actively researches, develops, and employs AI to enhance development efficiency, with a dedicated Sony AI department established in 2022. Beyond gaming, the company is exploring multimedia expansion, adapting its games into films and TV series, citing God of War (2018) as an example of this ongoing strategy. Hulst expressed his ambition to elevate PlayStation IPs beyond gaming, establishing them firmly within the broader entertainment industry. This vision might underpin the rumored acquisition of Kadokawa Corporation, a Japanese multimedia giant with diverse holdings spanning from books to anime, though details remain undisclosed.
The PlayStation 3: A Lesson in Ambition
In commemoration of PlayStation's 30th anniversary, former PlayStation chief Shawn Layden shared retrospective insights, including a candid assessment of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) as an "Icarus moment." The team's ambitious vision, encompassing features beyond core gaming, proved overly complex and costly for the time. This experience led to a refocusing on core gaming principles for subsequent consoles. Layden highlighted the PS4's success as a result of prioritizing its role as a superior gaming machine, rather than a multifaceted entertainment hub, contrasting it with Xbox's multimedia approach at the time.
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