A speech on AI that will make people react
VGC spoke with the creator during Gamescom Asia, where Glen Schofield spoke candidly. Particularly on the question of AI, a controversial subject within the industry. Even though he has a CV full of beautiful creations behind him, Schofield is clearly not at all against the idea of using AI in gamesgoing so far as to say that this would be a way to straighten out the industry:
“ First, let’s train everyone on AI. We know this new wave is coming. And people will say, “Well, this technology is not ready yet. » If you’re talking to me about it, it’s because it is. Finally, ready to use. We play with it. We learn. We evolve with it. Isn’t it? So please, if everyone could just train their employees…it’s not a huge investment, it’s the right investment. Training. Now people are starting to get excited: “I’m going to learn. » We can really say to ourselves: “Hey, maybe this will save money in the long run. » »
And when it was pointed out to him that AI poses ethical problems, he responded by describing his own use of this technology:
“ Then, make your own rules for using it. So if I… I don’t do it too often. I do a lot of prompts. But if I’m combining images to try to create something, I use my paintings and drawings. And that’s what I do. And then I’m just going to create, you know, big prompts. So, you know, use your own rules. If you have rules like these that make you feel comfortable, then do it. The other thing is use it. Let the lawyers sort themselves out. It will end up being regulated one day. The work that I’m going to show you, thousands and thousands and thousands of files, you won’t find them online anymore. You won’t find where I borrow other people’s work, where I borrow photos of tentacles or anything. »
Which is still a funny argument. He continues:
“ I heard the concerns, and I heard: “Hey, people are stealing other people’s work!” And I was like, you know, Picasso said, “Good artists always borrow, great artists steal.” » All artists, all concept artists, already do photobashing. They have been doing this for 5 to 10 years. It’s not your work, it’s not your photos, you’re using someone else’s work. »
A position which may be surprising on the part of a creator, and which will not fail to provoke a reaction.
A return of Dead Space via a resale of the license?
VGC also asked Schofield about the recent acquisition of Electronic Arts. To begin with, he does not seem very optimistic about the idea of seeing the group being bought by people outside the world of video games :
“ You know, the ones who bought them… well, the Saudis, and there was another one… What do they know about video games? Isn’t it? So they privatized them and said, “We’re going to reduce production to four or five games and we’re going to do this and that.” That’s what they said. But EA has always been conservative. I mean, to convince them to do Dead Space… I love EA, I love what they were. They have already had their moment of glory. Unfortunately, I think both EA and Activision have already had their moment of glory. »
However, in the interview given by IGN, the speech is not quite the same. He thinks that he has an opportunity to seize here, and that he is “ already making calls ». But simply because he thinks the series could be sold to someone else :
“ I’m more optimistic since the sale of EA, because someone new might buy the Dead Space license. »
A buyout which could be motivated by the desire to produce adaptations around the license, in addition to new games. But nothing says that EA is ready to resell it, even if the publisher put the license back in the closet after the failure of the remake of the first episode.