Your AI Replacement Skipped the Struggle

Lately, it seems like every major studio is in a race to the bottom. I can't scroll through my (sprawling) backlog of Inoreader articles without reading about a studio wanting to axe folks so they can run QA with AI, or studios offering 'voluntary redundancy programs' to shed those that don't want to toe the (AI-generated) line.

Take this Business Insider article! Electronic Arts staffers who spoke with Business Insider say the AI tools they're encouraged to use - including the company's in-house chatbot ReefGPT -produce flawed code and other so-called hallucinations that they need to correct. Others say that creative staff are expected to train AI programs on their own work, and that they fear the technology will ultimately slash demand for talent, such as character artists and level designers.

Fucking bonkers! There's a difference between training your replacement because you're voluntarily leaving versus training the AI that's going to replace you because of all your human failings. (Those pesky things like taking time off: time to eat, sleep, and have a life, or yanno, the desire to get money for your labor.)

But this little rant isn't even about the ethical or economic impacts of AI in gaming, even though it started that way! My beef with AI (besides it being forced down my throat on every single program, including my fucking to-do list app, which thinks I would love AI to do IDK what) is that it removes a lot of the challenge and effort that can lead to greater things. It goes for the end result, it goes for barfing out shallow perfection, and it doesn't take into account the trial and error, learning, and effort that brought a real person to the point of being able to do the same thing.

Side-story time! 100 years ago, when both I and the earth were young, I briefly considered becoming a dog groomer. (Then I realized I hate dealing with dogs in that capacity, doing haircuts is obnoxious as fuck, and you end up with a lot of terrible clients- both two and four-legged.)

There were a lot of ups and downs. Some shit I was great at, some shit I hated, but nothing bugged me more than scissor work. (Becca, who used to be in cosmetology school, is actually great with scissors and would have made an excellent groomer of people or dogs.)

I hate hate hate hate hate hated getting a Golden Retriever in for grooming because I loathed all their "detail" work: capping paws, trimming skirts, and trimming pants. I am terrible at it! It was slow and painstaking work - for me - and I hated it.

And listen, any moron can take a pair of scissors and shorten or hack at hair. (Even this moron!) It's not rocket science. But you can't just cut the "finished" look when it comes to hair. (Seriously. Ask your hair stylist or barber the next time you're in their chair and watch them laugh at you.) There's an element of "foundation laying" when it comes to haircuts, and though your "just fucking cut it" approach may look okay in that moment (at least the first day until it's wet and dried again or whatever), it ain't a good way to go about things. You can't cut corners. (Also note that this isn't about speed. Yes,proficiency brings about speed, and AI can be INCREDIBLY speedy, but these are different types and uses of speed.)

This made me think of this part in one of my favorite series, Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews.

Just like I couldn't skip to the 'finished' Golden Retriever cut without understanding the foundation, AI can't replicate generations of knowledge and trial-and-error. It can only use and produce the end results.

And, again, I know that there's more to the shittification of life through AI: the toll on the environment, on folks' lives and income, how it's stealing work, and more. And these are all mega important. I guess I'm just pointing out another small impact of the AI frenzy: how it's going to curtail growth. (Even though every CEO and expert is spouting amazing growth metrics out the ass.)

Anyway, I'm terrible at crafting a final sentence that lingers and makes you think, so I'll leave you with another snippet from Ilona Andrews.