2023-07-01 13:57:24
If he is impressed by the technology, he is not yet moved by it.
Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine Productions and behind games such as Psychonauts, Brutal Legend and Grim Fandango, talked regarding AI during an interview with Twitch streamer Cressup earlier this week.
Cressup asked Schafer, “I’m interested as a writer, what are your thoughts on AI and the gaming industry. Are you worried? Is this a tool you might see yourself using one day? He replied that he was impressed with the technology, but the result left a lot to be desired.
“I (honestly) can’t figure out how they do it, it was explained to me, I know regarding machine learning and neural networks,” he said. “I still can’t believe they produce handwriting that looks like human handwriting. So it’s really impressive at this level. However, Schafer adds that he has “never read anything significant, important or interesting from AI”. Again, it’s super impressive, but it’s also completely like we don’t care.
He remembers a time when he was in college and his friend had written an algorithm that simulated what Mozart might have composed if he had seen a particular sunset. I thought to myself, “This is a really impressive technical challenge, and it sounds like music, and it sounds like Mozart? But also, we don’t care, because it’s not Mozart”.
“For me, art is regarding connecting people. (The artist) exposes himself to a kind of intuitive expression that you, as a viewer, player or listener, absorb,” Schafer told Cressup. And you’re like, “Oh my God, they feel the same way I do, or they made me feel this other thing that I didn’t know I might feel.”
“I can’t imagine the value of a computer. They take over other people’s work, allowing you to connect with other people? But I do not know. »
He then talks regarding the experience of coming across AI-generated content online, which is becoming increasingly common. This slow AI death reminds me of Gray Goo, a nightmare scenario created by an American engineer in the 80s, in which a swarm of nanobots devour everything that lives, and which has obviously made its way into games – like the ‘AI proposed to replace Simlish. A lot happened very quickly, so I can understand Schafer’s mixture of wonder and exhaustion at this widespread use.
Cressup then performs a fun little experiment by asking ChatGPT to design a game by Tim Schafer. It’s a nice moment, with Schafer earnestly considering a generative remix of his own style of storytelling.
In the end, however, Schafer concludes that, although the game started out with some promise, “there’s no meat, there’s no really unique choice or meat to get you really excited regarding.” , and given that the man has been writing and producing in the games industry for over 30 years, I’m willing to believe he knows his stuff. AI may already be part of the creative process, but it certainly won’t replace the human touch.
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