Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah, who led both the Dragon Age series and Anthem, has argued that risk-averse big-budget games are potentially prepping some people for a generative AI future. Those sometimes unsustainable budgets also mean publishers "take less and less risks" in an effort to create games that can appeal to, or at least not offend, the widest audience possible, Darrah says. But in reality, it leads to lots of products that are "too homogenous." Assassin's Creed, Horizon, and Hogwarts Legacy all largely follow the same formula, for example, despite being made by totally different companies. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lead says AI "may mean the demise of humanity" but he's "all for it" if it helps "make epic games" Most gamers aren't actually bothered by gen AI in games, says former Square Enix exec: "Many studios I know" are relying on it, and art or voices like Arc Raiders' are "the tip of the spear" Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead sees Elon Musk's new AI-generated game, says "AI has its place as a tool" but won't "solve the big problem of the industry, which is leadership and vision" "One of the reasons why some consumers may be willing to accept generative AI is… them feeling like, to some degree, a lot of media has become soulless already," he added, "that the process of squeezing art through a commercial lens has already sanded away all of the grit, all of the soul, all of the spirit of the media they consume. So, why not just have a robot create it?" Darrah is quick to point out that he doesn't agree with the sentiment, "but maybe that's what's been happening." Of course, a large portion of the public isn't as willing to accept generative AI 'art.' I mean, just look at the backlash Larian Studios received for exploring AI tech in Divinity earlier this month. Witchfire CEO says Divinity devs are "definitely not evil" for exploring AI, but the backlash stems from people wanting "to have contact with other humans through art"