LogInCyberpunk 2077's quest director Paweł Sasko believes AI can't compare with what CDPR does.
Image credit: CDPR
While big companies are trying to cut costs by introducing AI to workflows and waves of layoffs, artists are rising against the trend, demanding fair treatment. In the end, the general consensus seems to be that AI should be a mere tool that speeds things up and does boring, repetitive work. Several game developers have shared their sentiments about the idea, and now it turns out CD PROJEKT RED, the studio behind Cyberpunk and The Witcher, has experimented with generative AI as well.
Cyberpunk 2077's quest director Paweł Sasko shared with Aftermath that while the company has done R&D on AI, he doesn't think it can replace human effort, at least for now.
"I could definitely see the ways this could be used to bring up more reactivity – just make the reactions of NPCs [to players’ specific actions] a bit more authentic," he said. "But when it comes to writing and voice acting, there's just a gigantic, really long way to go. I've seen a lot behind the scenes. There is a visible gap between authored content – the bespoke content that writers, quest designers, cinematic designers make with their own hands – and something that AI can provide."
Image credit: CDPR
It would be great to not be bound to pre-written dialogue options, and "alive" characters, like Ubisoft's NEO NPCs and NVIDIA's ACE, with whom you can talk about anything are already in development in different companies, but we're still not in that futuristic reality.
"You look at Phantom Liberty, our top characters, I can only yet imagine how AI could get even close," Sasko added. "The gap in quality, specifically, is huge. It's like a canyon."
So it seems that at least CDPR is not in any rush to get rid of humans, although it did cut some jobs last year.
In other news, the studio said the next Witcher will not be "just a Witcher 3 in new clothing" and will not feature in-game microtransactions just like other single-player games from the team.
Find out more about reactive NPCs in the original article and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.