Industry Pushes AI Adoption as Houser Questions Long-Term Viability of Synthetic Training Data

[kevin1]

While Dan Houser cautions that generative AI may degrade creative quality, the gaming industry is accelerating toward massive AI integration.
Major publishers—Ubisoft, Square Enix, EA, and Krafton—have announced major AI initiatives amid a wave of industry layoffs. Studios say the technology speeds development, improves playtesting, and lets smaller teams compete with bigger players.
Yet the shift is not without risk. Google Cloud’s global games director Jack Buser warned that studios unable to adapt “may not survive,” while executives like Sundar Pichai note that the scarcity of original human-made data poses challenges for future AI training.
Indie developers, meanwhile, insist the AI wave is already unavoidable. “If you’re not on the AI bandwagon right now, you’re already behind,” said Mother Games CEO Kelsey Falter.
Houser remains intrigued by the tech despite his concerns, noting its unpredictability: “It’s wrong a lot of the time, but it says it so confidently.”

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