SAG-AFTRA and game companies have failed to reach an agreement on the use of generative AI in the industry. As a result, voice actors will go on strike starting at 12:01 a.m. today.
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Generative AI
News about AI services and models, as well as case studies on the use of generative artificial intelligence in video game development.
The SAG-AFTRA actors' guild in the U.S. was unable to peacefully negotiate working conditions with the partnering gaming companies. Now, they will advocate for their demands through a strike. The first protests will begin today, July 26
Activision Blizzard has given the green light for employing generative AI tools such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to create concept art and marketing materials, according to a recent Wired investigation. The news outlet acquired an internal memo from the company's former chief technology officer, Michael Vance, which sanctioned the use of these AI tools. Although Vance stepped down from his CTO position in January 2024, he remains with Activision as a fellow software engineer. A former employee revealed that the company assured its artists that the generative AI would be utilized exclusively for internal concepts and not for final game assets, emphasizing that AI would not be used to replace them
Activision is actively experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies, Wired reports. According to the publication, the company has already begun selling AI-generated "cosmetics" in games
GiantX, a prominent name in the gaming and esports sector, has finalized the acquisition of AI esports coaching start-up iTero Gaming. The financial specifics remain confidential, but the deal is described as being worth "multi-million dollars." Following this acquisition, iTero's founder, Jack J. Williams, who established the company in 2022, has been named the head of gaming technology at GiantX
The SAG-AFTRA National Board has unanimously decided to allow its lead negotiator to initiate an immediate strike at their discretion to safeguard voice actors' job security amid growing interest in generative AI by studios. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA, which represents over 160,000 professionals including actors, broadcast journalists, news writers, recording artists, and voiceover artists, indicated that, should a strike be called, it would encompass all services covered under the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA). "All SAG-AFTRA members will cease rendering all services and performing all work covered by the IMA," the statement read. While negotiations continue regarding the Interactive Media Agreement, the union asserts that there remains a significant gap in reaching terms related to essential AI protections for video game performers
Artificial Agency, a startup located in Edmonton, has secured $16 million to advance its "AI-powered behavior engine." The funding round saw participation from Radical Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Flying Fish, Kaya, BDC Deep Tech, and Tirta Ventures. After operating in stealth mode for a year, the company has revealed its activities, stating it is collaborating closely with several prominent AAA studios. The engine is expected to be accessible to all studios by 2025
Microsoft has given up its non-voting observer position on OpenAI’s board. Keith Dolliver, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, is said to have communicated to OpenAI earlier this week, indicating that Microsoft's presence on the newly-established board was "no longer necessary" because of the "significant progress" OpenAI has achieved. Microsoft took on a non-voting role in November following the temporary ousting and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman
The creative industry is currently contending with the implications of generative AI technology. The recent advancements in the ability of computer algorithms to produce imagery, audio, and text mark a significant transformation. This development not only challenges the philosophical notion of creativity, traditionally seen as a unique human trait, but also introduces new opportunities for productivity. However, it raises substantial concerns about the viability of creative careers and businesses. As debates intensify, many individuals remain uncertain about which stance to adopt, balancing both optimism and apprehension towards this emerging technology
Nintendo acknowledges that generative AI is a prominent topic and could spur technological advancements, but the company intends to provide a distinct value that isn't solely reliant on technology. During a recent Q&A session with investors, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa expressed caution about ongoing intellectual property issues related to AI. He emphasized his belief in the company's extensive experience in crafting top-notch gaming experiences. "AI-like technology has long been a part of controlling enemy character movements in the gaming industry," Furukawa noted, as translated by Tweak Town, highlighting the long-standing relationship between game development and AI technology
Two innovations that are poised to transform game creation and gameplay are cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The cloud, which is not a new technology, has seen entire firms like Improbable emerge to assist developers in ambitious projects by shifting the processing load from gaming hardware to large-scale server farms. Microsoft has also delved into this area; for instance, some AI companions in Titanfall were managed by Azure servers as early as 2014. On the other hand, AI has been making waves in the news due to bold assertions about its potential
Bitmagic, a generative AI platform, secured $4 million in seed funding in a round spearheaded by Korea Investment Partners. The company also introduced its platform on Steam Playtest, allowing users to develop 3D games using text and speech commands. Additional investors in this round include Supercell, Sisu Game Ventures, and several angel investors such as Zak Phelps, former senior director of product for Fortnite Creative, and Maarten de Koning, partner at Digital Development Management
Although more and more game companies are incorporating generative artificial intelligence into their production process, Nintendo prefers to stay away from such technologies. At a meeting with investors, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that generative AI could lead to copyright issues
Roblox is actively developing technology to allow users to generate characters and objects via "4D generative AI". According to a recent blog update, this new AI will emphasize interactivity in the creation of people, objects, and environments. These innovative tools aim to enhance the dynamism of 3D objects by utilizing generative AI text or voice prompts, such as creating a drivable race car
For King, the potential of AI to enhance and accelerate game development is not a novel concept. The creator of Candy Crush has been leveraging and exploring machine learning and AI technology for over five years, predating its acquisition of the Swedish AI software company Peltarion in 2022. King's AI Labs, a substantial division managed by Sahar Asadi, has already integrated AI tools into its workflow, specifically in games like Candy Crush. One such tool has significantly influenced the development process of the popular mobile game
Artificial intelligence has permeated nearly every sector, including the gaming industry. The advent of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney might overshadow the fact that AI has been shaping development processes since at least the 1980s. Tommy Thompson, director of the consultancy AI and Games, stated during a panel in the GI Sprint series about accelerating game development that there is a widespread belief that AI is a novel concept in the gaming sector. Contrary to this perception, the idea that AI is threatening jobs only now is inaccurate.
Thompson, who collaborates with developers to incorporate AI into their development processes, has observed this "silent revolution" since the late 2000s when machine learning started being integrated into workflows. AI, a branch of computer science with origins in the 1950s, has been benefiting the gaming industry for decades
In January, Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu announced that the company would begin using artificial intelligence more "aggressively" in game development. Six months later, he seems to think this might not have been such a good idea
Embracer Group will increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) in game development. The company fears that if it avoids such technologies, competitors will outpace it
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has opened up about the state of the games industry. Here are his thoughts on AI, rising development costs, and other topics.
Astrocade AI raises $12 million in seed funding round
· a month agoAstrocade AI has secured $12 million in seed funding. This capital injection will support the development of its generative AI social gaming platform, now in closed alpha, allowing users to create and modify games. The investment came from AME Cloud Ventures, NVIDIA Ventures, and the Venture Reality Fund
Microsoft will integrate the AI assistant Copilot into games
· 2 months agoOn May 20, Microsoft held the Microsoft Surface 2024 presentation. During the event, the corporation announced that it plans to integrate Copilot into games. The AI assistant will provide gameplay tips.
Will generative AI be orderly progress or a copyright battlefield? Here is a deep dive into the topic by two experts from the REVERA law group, head of arbitration & IT disputes subpractice Kamal Tserakhau and associate Andrei Rutkouski.
Legal experts Kamal Terekhov and Andrey Rutkovskiy from the company REVERA discussed how many prompts are needed to enjoy copyright protection for AI-generated works in China, and what the courts in Japan and India think about the copyright of generated images.
Stability AI, the company that created the neural network for generating Stable Diffusion images, has reduced 10% of the staff, or about 20 people. This is reported by CNBC with reference to a letter for employees.
In March, Sensor Tower, an analytical company, announced the purchase of a rival company data.ai . Joost van Dreunen, founder and CEO of the now-closed SuperData, shared his opinion on the deal in his newsletter. He is pessimistic.
The use of artificial intelligence in game development continues to cause heated debate. This time, Champions TCG studio participated in them. She stated that the artwork for her collectible NFT card game Champions of Otherworldly was made using neural networks. They were created by an "AI artist" alone, to whom she paid tens of thousands of dollars.
At the beginning of the week, Sensor Tower announced the purchase of an analytical company data.ai . It became known that after the deal data.ai She cut about 200 employees.
The giant 2024 Unity Gaming Report has been released. It is dedicated to trends in game development. If possible, we will briefly tell you about the main thing from the study.
Ubisoft showed the developments on a project called NEO NPC at the GDC developer conference. As part of it, the company is experimenting with the creation of non-player characters who, thanks to generative AI, are able to conduct a meaningful dialogue with players.
Sensor Tower buys data.ai (former App Annie)
· 4 months agoConsolidation in the mobile analytics market. Sensor Tower service has announced the acquisition of its key competitor — data.ai .
In mid-February, OpenAI introduced a new generative network that is capable of generating very high-quality video by text format. It's called Sora. We talked about its prospects in the gaming industry with teams that have already implemented other neural networks into their pipeline. Our experts include representatives of Charisma, Playkot, Lost Lore, Skywaylab and ZiMAD.
Last month, OpenAI unveiled its new text-to-video model Sora, causing a stir among professionals and casual users alike. Although it is yet to be released publicly, we decided to discuss whether it can be used in game development, as well as its potential pitfalls and limitations, with experts from ZiMAD, Skywaylab, Playkot, Lost Lore, and Charisma.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), told the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference that his company is actively developing generative artificial intelligence technologies. EA hopes that with their help it will be possible to speed up game development and increase performance.
Last week, Owlcat Games studio posted a vacancy for a concept artist for its next project. Among the requirements for the candidate was the experience of working with Midjourney, DALL-E or other neural networks with which you can generate art. This condition caused a flurry of criticism.
Palworld developers are accused of plagiarism and using AI
· 6 months agoWhile millions of users are playing Palworld, its developers from the Japanese Pocketpair studio are accused of theft on social networks. In addition, they are reminded of a loyal attitude towards generative AI.
According to a recent study by the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and Omdia, generative AI has become a widespread game development tool over the past year.
Last year, the number of downloads of games in the Russian Google Play and App Store increased by 4% to almost 3 billion. This is reported by Vedomosti with reference to the data of the analytical platform data.ai .
Analytical service data.ai I published a report on the state of the mobile app market last year. Here are the main facts from his chapter on mobile gaming.
SAG-AFTRA has entered into an agreement with AI company Replica Studios to allow game companies to use digital voice replicas of real-life actors. However, the move caused sharp criticism in the professional community.
The Actors Guild of the USA SAG-AFTRA has entered into an agreement with Replica Studios. She is engaged in artificial intelligence-based technologies that are able to imitate human voices to voice characters in games.
Steam has made new changes to its policies that will make it easier to release games using AI technology. However, developers will have to promise that their products won’t contain any illegal content.
Steam has relaxed its policy regarding games created with the help of artificial intelligence. Now developers can release such games on the site, but only if certain conditions are met.
We continue to summarize the results of 2023 with the gaming (or related to the gaming sector) teams. Next up is an interview with Pavel Tokarev, CEO of Inlingo outsourcing studio.
We continue to summarize the results of 2023 with gaming (or related to the gaming sector) teams and organizations. This time we talked with Konstantin Ivanov, brand director of AdQuantum.
The authors of the Stable Diffusion neural network have announced the release of Stable Video Diffusion. This is a model that generates videos up to four seconds long based on an image or text description.
During the Unite 2023 conference, Unity announced Unity 6, the next version of its engine. With it, developers will, among other things, get early access to artificial intelligence-based tools Unity Muse and Unity Sentis.
The guest of the new episode of the Games and Names podcast was Thomas Kriebernegg, co-founder of the page optimization service in app stores App Radar.
On October 23, the Generative AI For Business SF’23 business conference was held in San Francisco, dedicated to trends in the field of generative artificial intelligence. Its guests were representatives of companies such as Google, Amazon Web Services, Scenario, Confident AI, Layer.ai and NetEase.
Artificial intelligence-based tools will change the approach to game development, according to analysts from Morgan Stanley. In their opinion, AI will reduce the cost of creating and operating AAA titles by about 15%.
Generative AI For Business, a conference on working with neural networks and artificial intelligence, will be held in San Francisco on October 23. There are leads among the speakers Scenario.com , Luma AI, Layer AI, MongoDB, Lightspeed and many other companies.
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Valve’s Kassidy Gerber recently shared several updates on Steam as a platform and some of its key metrics. Here are the key findings.