Following the announcement that both Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Xbox President Sarah Bond would leave the company, trust in Xbox dropped rapidly. Then, the company announced Asha Sharma, the former head of Microsoft’s CoreAI, would take over as lead at Microsoft Gaming.
Hope windled further.
Would Microsoft and Xbox embrace AI and cut out the human element? According to Xbox CCO Matt Booty (newly appointed to the position), that’s not happening. Microsoft isn’t pushing for more AI in game development, supposedly.
Speaking with Windows Central recently, Booty said:
We’ve got no pressure from Microsoft, there are no directives on AI coming down. Our teams are free to use any technologies that might be beneficial, whether it’s helping write code or check for bugs–things more in the production pipeline. At the end of the day, as Asha said, we’re committed to art made by people. Technology is only in support of that.
According to Booty, Xbox wants AI to support and add to the creative process, not distract or take away from the human component and artistic nature of video games. He likened its impact to other software tools, such as Photoshop, saying:
In my experience, any time there’s a new technology, what happens is there’s a need for more specialists, new specialists. It raises the bar on what the expectations are for the quality of the games.
But how much of this is just marketing speak to appease the masses? It wasn’t long ago that Call of Duty was caught using generative AI to create cosmetics.
We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?!