Video game company Blizzard is seemingly exploring the integration of AI graphics in the development of its upcoming games, according to a recent patent.
Although AI technology has existed for many years, its recent advancements have made it a topic of fascination across the world. The gaming industry has taken note, and now Blizzard has developed a new type of technology that incorporates AI in graphics creation.
This development isn’t surprising, given the prominence of AI technologies like Bing AI and ChatGPT in recent headlines. In fact, World of Warcraft director Ion Hazzikostas has even used ChatGPT to gain insights into future WoW content.
According to GameRant, Blizzard’s new patent, which was filed on December 23rd and made public on April 27th, aims to utilise more structured and accurate AI technology for game development. Specifically, the patent aims to use AI to create new images based on pre-existing images and the established art style of a game.
Copyright issues
While this could be an excellent time-saver for the company, it raises concerns about the copyright of AI-generated images. AI-generated graphics are still a relatively new concept, and there have been many lawsuits concerning their copyright lately.
The U.S. Copyright Office has also said that if there is no human input in creating an AI-generated art, it can be challenging to justify or argue for copyright and any such request will likely be rejected.
While social media platforms like TikTok use AI, the use of this technology in big-budget AAA games is a different matter altogether. With Diablo 4 on the horizon, we could eventually see a Blizzard game that fully utilises AI-generated materials.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
