PlayStation CEO Discusses Balance Of AI And Human Touch In Game Development

During an interview with the BBC, co-CEO of PlayStation Herman Hulst was asked about the role of AI in game development. It’s an important question as AI continues to occupy an increasing role in business operations, and the gaming industry is facing a brutal year with thousands of layoffs and studio closures. The scales certainly appear to be tipping in favor of games made only using AI.

However, Hulst believes that game development will need to retain humans as part of the game making process, rather than having a completely AI made experience. He says that "I suspect there will be a dual demand in gaming: one for AI-driven innovative experiences and another for handcrafted, thoughtful content," and that "striking the right balance between leveraging AI and preserving the human touch will be crucial."


The answer may not be definitive or have much detail in regard to PlayStation’s plans for how the company will be making games in the future, but he didn’t go all in for AI led development either. At the very least there seems to be a hopeful future for those who would like to make a career in game development, because one of the biggest gaming companies in the world still wants to hire humans.

Moreover, whenever the topic of AI in game development pops up, there’s usually a missing element. That missing part is whether or not gamers will be receptive to playing games made by AI only, anti-AI sentiment increasing on social media. It’s possible that people will demand to know whether a game had any kind of human involvement before making a purchase, potentially hobbling games sales for companies that take the AI only route.

Time will tell what direction game development goes in, and if the human touch still remains part of the game creation process.