Hideo Kojima Considers AI to Be Collaborative "Friends" Instead of A Distant Threat to Human Creativity
Hideo Kojima, a game designer of legendary stature, has proffered optimistic thoughts on AI and its working mechanisms in the ambiance of game creation. During a recent interview with Wired Japan, Kojima characterized AI not as humanity's enemy of creativity, but rather as a "friend" that can boost productive effort against the expenditure of precious human time.
AI Serving as Instrument In Boosting Up Work Efficiency
So in effect, unlike those who think of AI as a tool for preliminary ideation, Kojima sees it as a means to work so humans remain the real creative leaders. He elaborated, "A lot of people use AI in creative work to come up with ideas. But I think of AI as more of a friend...I would lead the creative part and use AI to boost efficiency."
Everything from animation to motion capture processing and NPC behavior programming should be placed squarely on the shoulders of AI, he suggested. This, he said, frees up human developers for higher-fun-level creative work.
"I want AI to do all the tedious work. Lower costs, lower time. It should be a co-creation thing."
Takeaways from a Practical Example in Death Stranding 2
This philosophy is already being implemented at Kojima Productions. While working on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the development team employed machine learning to scan actors such as Elle Fanning and construct their high-fidelity digital models. Although he was happy with the results, Kojima remarked at a Riyadh conference that he wants even more realistic ones for his upcoming projects, OD and Physint.
Kojima stated, "Looking back, I think it's okay" referring to the Death Stranding 2 process. "But my next project, I think I want to make it more realistic."
As the Industry Is Divided, So There Are Contrasting Views
Kojima's belief of AI being on an equal collaborative level stands diametrically opposed to many areas within the industry that speak of full automation. As Activision and Capcom begin to use AI in full force, from visual upscaling to text generation, the debate continues regarding its very effects. A recent survey states that 32% of CESA member companies have already incorporated AI into their development pipeline.
While layoffs are ongoing throughout the industry, often attributed to the emergence of AI, Kojima's vision forms a compromise: the application of AI to bring down development costs and timelines while human creativity is held forefront in making the games we play.
