Persona Producer Raises Eyebrows with Comments on AI Art | Push Square

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So, AI art. That is, art that's been created through artificial intelligence. The method has spawned plenty of heated debate in recent times as AI art has developed, and grown dramatically in terms of popularity; some believe that AI-driven work can reinforce existing projects, while others think that it's a genuine threat to creativity on multiple levels.

It's interesting, then, that video game developers are starting to discuss the often controversial process. And it's especially interesting when it's someone with ties to Persona — one of the most artistically accomplished properties in gaming.

In a recent interview (as reported by Persona Central), Persona producer Kazuhisa Wada says that he's personally interested in the progress of AI. «I think the technology behind AI illustrations will be very useful in the future. For example, when coming up with rough ideas, an AI can continuously output one idea after another, something that a single artist might struggle with,» Wada explains.

Just before anyone grabs their pitchforks, it's important to note that Wada seems to be talking about the early process of creating concept art, rather than using AI to drive the artistic direction of something. He continues: «So I think that for early concept and idea formation, we could use AI right away. Our art team has been talking about wanting to implement AI.»

We can understand where Wada's coming from, at least from a workload perspective, but we'd be intrigued to hear what artists — or specifically concept artists — have to say on the matter.

Does the implementation of AI art seem inevitable in game development going forward? Would you welcome it, or are you against it? Start planning for the future in the comments section