During a post-screening Q&A at the New York premiere of his new documentary, Connecting Worlds, Japanese video game writer and designer Hideo Kojima was asked about his thoughts on AI.
Kojima’s response received cheers from the crowd when he affirmed that AI should not replace humans. The Death Stranding producer and designer said, “I don’t think AI would take over.” Kojima adds that if AI evolves to the point where he has to work with it, “I will order AI to do something and if they don’t listen I will gut that AI. Humans should be above it.”
After applause from the crowd, the Metal Gear Solid V writer went on to say that while AI shouldn’t replace humans, he’s not totally against using the technology. “It’s up to how you use the AI,” he said, believing there are benefits in shortening the extensive production process.
He then illustrated a hypothetical situation by presenting a scenario involving a typical four-year development cycle for a triple-A video game, employing around 600 individuals. “If you change it to 300 with AI, maybe it will be faster. But the creator has to order what to do, something that’s time consuming. I think it’s an exciting future,” said Kojima.
“And I will make AI a gamer too, so they help me elevate more, you know?” After receiving a silent response from the crowd, Kojima added, “You were supposed to laugh, sorry.”
Potential impact of AI
The game director is popularly known to be on the cutting edge of technology. This has led to some of his acclaimed titles like Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid often featuring a technology pathway to foster connection.
Although AI has existed in various forms since the 1950s, the advent of generative AI is a relatively recent development that has sparked mixed reactions. Mainly, artists across different disciplines, including literature, film, journalism, and video games have expressed concerns towards generative AI, as they worry it poses a threat to their professions by offering cheap replacements.
Such fears have been backed by recent studies as well, with Goldman Sachs estimating that AI could replace up to 300 million jobs. While the complete impact of AI on different disciplines remains uncertain, most, if not all industry leaders will always go the cost-saving route which will lead to layoffs.
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.
