Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida Weighs on Rise of AI: ‘Creativity Is More Important’

Shuhei Yoshida, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s independent developer head, has opened up with his thoughts on AI and how he’s seeing those tools used in game development.

In an interview with The Guardian, Yoshida dove into his current day-to-day over at Sony as he scouts developer talent for PlayStation, including experiences with AI. He knows the rise in AI tools concerns game developers and says he’s already seen pitches from indies using software like Midjourney for art. The app generates images based on user descriptions, and, according to Yoshida, its use by one participant in an indie competition created “amazing, beautiful graphics.”

“That is powerful,” Yoshida said. “That a small number of young people can create an amazing-looking game. In the future, AI could develop interesting animations, behaviors, even do debug for your program.”

However, the technology isn’t so universally embraced by video game developers or creative industries at large. In January, several artists launched a lawsuit against Midjourney for copyright infringement. Training for Midjourney’s tools involves scrapping the internet for images, a process that forgoes artist consent to use their work to create something else.

When prompted for his thoughts on the ethical concerns around AI’s place in game development, Yoshida explained his perspective on AI’s place as a tool, learning, and creativity within the industry.

“It is a tool,” Yoshida told The Guardian. “Someone has to use the tool.”

“AI can produce very strange things, as you must have seen. You really have to be able to use the tool well. AI will change the nature of learning for game developers, but in the end, development will be more efficient, and more beautiful things will be made by people. People might not even need to learn programming any more, if they have learned how to use these tools of the future. The creativity is more important, the direction, how you envision what you want.”

As part of IGN’s recent AI Week, creatives from several entertainment industries shared their perspective on the technology’s hastened rise to the more mainstream. On the animation front, IGN spoke to workers concerned they’ll be replaced and artists who’ve seen their art stolen.

As a tool for accessibility in gaming, the future remains a little murky, but our latest feature on AI’s potential highlights the good, bad, and ugly of emerging technologies and intent.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She’s worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today’s FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.