We right here at PC Gamer cannot cease admiring the balls of Blizzard’s VFX artists (opens in new tab), however it seems that fits elsewhere on the developer have some fairly huge kahunas too: And have utilized for a patent that may see an AI generate paintings to be used in-game (opens in new tab), based mostly on a selected fashion fed to it by Blizzard (noticed by GameRant (opens in new tab)).
Ruh-oh. Firstly, the patent itself will not be essentially a sign that Blizzard is or might be doing this anytime quickly. However it’s treading into some murky waters right here, with the popularity of AI artwork among the many public at one thing of a low: Solely yesterday, folks had been getting upset on the System Shock remaster (opens in new tab) for making a promotional picture of its personal evil AI utilizing the AI software program Midjourney.
However these applied sciences are quickly spreading, to the extent that even modders are incorporating them into their work, and in contrast to for instance NFTs (one other much-maligned piece of up to date tech) there are some compelling use circumstances for AI, particularly with regards to fleshing out the perimeters of worlds.
The patent is a technical doc and is completely no enjoyable to learn, however primarily it explains an AI system that’s fed a selected artwork fashion and emulates these photos to create new artwork. The AI takes these preliminary inputs and, primarily, begins to assemble a 3D mannequin: Constructing a skeleton, texturing it, and including element. I suppose the essential level right here is that preliminary human enter, which on this case would presumably be coming from Blizzard’s inner artwork groups (one of many largest controversies over AI artwork is its use of copyrighted imagery with out credit score to the human creators of it, to the extent Getty Pictures is suing one of many largest instruments (opens in new tab)).
It is a difficult one. You’ll be able to see why the concept of this method would enchantment to a few of these on the manufacturing aspect of videogames, particularly on the dimensions Blizzard works at with a few of its titles, and it is necessary to notice that (for now at the least) the main target appears to be on how AI can be utilized for issues like NPC conversations and producing plenty of minor variants from a single enemy design.
There are clearly hardliners who do not assume a bit of AI-generated artwork ought to ever discover its manner right into a videogame, however there are extra nuanced worries in regards to the potential impression of tsuch know-how. Trade artists may maintain the affordable concern that, even when this factor must be fed Blizzard artwork to work, that might nonetheless imply a discount in headcount for Blizzard’s artwork division, and we’re not even bearing on the way it might change the manufacturing course of: Do we actually need a future the place the human artists are centered on touching up AI output?
These questions are going to develop into ever extra urgent as a result of, as this patent exhibits, firms like Blizzard will not be going to attend round for permission to check these applied sciences, and we may even see the outcomes earlier than we expect. Whether or not firms might be upfront about utilizing such applied sciences, and whether or not we’ll even be capable of inform, might find yourself as the larger query.
