Recently, Netflix reduced its workforce as the company began closing some of its game studios. Among these is the AAA studio in Los Angeles, founded by Chacko Sonny, the former executive producer of Overwatch. Now, Netflix has announced that its gaming division is investing in generative artificial intelligence.
This is intended to "accelerate the development process and create truly innovative gaming experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players." It seems that the plan involves having AI handle some of the work typically done by authors and developers. For the employees who were laid off due to the studio's closure, this added insult to injury. At the same time, Mike Verdu, Netflix's vice president of generative AI in the gaming division, announced his new position in a note on LinkedIn.
It remains unclear how "high-quality" the AI used in game development is. When it comes to generative AI used for creating images, noticeable flaws can often be observed, such as strange hands or identical faces, leading to the "uncanny valley" effect. Whether this will carry over into games remains to be seen. Recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that a quarter of the new code at the company is written by artificial intelligence.
Verdu added that all these changes at the company were intentional:
"Don’t pay attention to media speculation about changes in Netflix Games. What you've seen in recent months is, in fact, a planned transition."
However, this does not change the fact that the studio was closed, and 35 people lost their jobs, especially if the plan involves replacing their work with AI.
It is still unknown how Netflix intends to utilize generative AI within its gaming division. This opens up a lot of possibilities, as game engines with generative AI are already emerging, which can be used for creating concept art, voiceovers, in-game dialogues, and more.
"I’m envisioning an AI-centric approach where creativity is at the forefront, and AI acts as a catalyst and accelerator. AI will enable larger game teams to work much faster and provide almost unbelievable new opportunities for developers from smaller teams," Verdu noted.
Source: wccftech
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