Legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto – who led development on classic games such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – has argued that the rise of generative AI tools won’t necessarily replace human talent.
Next month, Shigeru Miyamoto will become the first ever video game developer to be awarded the Order of Culture by the Emperor of Japan, a hugely prestigious honour. But in a recent press conference dedicated to the award, he also shared some thoughts about gen-AI and its use in game production.
“Our generation lived through a period of rapid computer development – a time when tools were constantly evolving, moving from typewriters to word processors,” he said while speaking to the press, in quotes translated by VGC. Miyamoto argued that a designer’s true capabilities “finally came to the fore” as technology advanced and was capable of handling more of what might be considered “labor”, and a similar transition may take place with generative AI tech.
“While the act of creation is inherently satisfying, there’s a danger: one might find satisfaction in the labor itself and mistakenly believe that a high-quality piece of work has been created,” he added. If generative-AI software replaces more tasks involved in game production, human game devs might have “an opportunity to reflect on what’s really important.”
“Looking back at past designs, there are some that were created merely by copying and pasting. Yet, such work rarely stands the test of time; it lacks the individual’s particular design intention,” Miyamoto continued. “Because the process relies on an individual’s intent, with the computer serving as an assistant for the labor, I believe that even as technology continues to evolve, and even if AI were to eventually handle everything, there will always be a role left for us to play.”
Masahiro Sakurai was a bit less optimistic about a potentially AI-first future than his peer. The Smash Bros. director recently said gen-AI tech might lead to a surge of unoriginal and unprofitable games, though it won’t be able to replicate the creativity of humans.
Nintendo itself hasn’t outright ruled out the possibility of using gen-AI tools in the future, but former Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser assured folks that the company’s games would retain a “human touch” last year. “We still believe that what makes our games special is our developers, their artistic capabilities, their insight into how people play,” Bowser said at the time.
Nintendo is somewhat at odds with several of its contemporaries when it comes to AI adoption, however. Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu previously said the company would be “aggressive in applying AI.” Sega, Capcom, Level-5, Epic Games and a number of other high-profile game studios have admitted to using gen-AI in some form, as well. Xbox even opened an entire division seemingly dedicated to experimenting with the tech.