In an interview between 4Gamer and Koei Tecmo, representatives from the company stated that it is considering the usage of generative AI. However, it will work within company-established guidelines. These will continue to change as they explore its possibilities, as well as the discussion around generative AI continues. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
There are plenty of issues surrounding generative AI due to the way it works. Japan has already set up legal guidelines around it. Someone using or selling AI-generated art can be sued for copyright infringement if the copyright holder claims that the AI learned from their work. Koei Tecmo will consider these legal risks to come up with internal guidelines on how to use AI. While Koei Tecmo seems open to the idea of eventually using generative AI in its games, it stated that it will use it mostly for internal documents and events. This is to avoid the legal issues that might come into play.
Chitoshi Nishimura, Managing Executive Officer & Manager of Legal Affairs at Koei Tecmo, stated:
“When VR, AR, and NFTs came out, companies tried to utilize these technologies to create some form of entertainment. The difference is that, VR and AR, for example, are technologies that can directly impact the user’s idea of what makes a game interesting. However, just because there’s generative AI in a game or just because the companies used generative AI doesn’t necessarily mean that the game will be fun. In that sense, we’re treating it as a tool among many… So we won’t consider it special simply because it’s generative AI. The company’s current position is that we will use it if it proves useful.”
However, he believes that what end users care about is whether a game is fun or not. He does not think that players care if a company used generative AI in its development. Nishimura’s suggestion for using it in an actual game project is that the AI would come up with ideas that humans might not have thought of. In that sense, the team would use AI like a sounding board.
So far, Koei Tecmo has no plans on using generative AI in its current or upcoming games. However, its representatives speak optimistically of its use in the creative process.
