Using AI in Media and Games Production

As more and more AI generators enter the digital art and game development arenas, attention is being focused on how these AI products will affect creative industries. Modern technology on this scale begs the question, “How can creative experts integrate these technologies into their careers?”

The thought of AI taking over so much of the hard grind in game development, graphic design and 3D modeling may seem scary at first. But the fact is that these technologies can have a positive impact on creatives who learn to utilize them efficiently.

Let’s explore the nuances of this modern reality and answer some of the questions you as a creative might have about what this means for the future of the digital art industry.

How Much Can AI Actually Accomplish Without Human Intervention?

The ability of AI in real-time 3D modeling and game creation is admittedly impressive. For example, users can now create whole universes with AI-powered tools by simply assembling some components together. Unreal Engine, is one such software that is capable of automatically generating scenery, backgrounds, and even playable areas within a game.

Digital art of this magnitude takes the grind out of generating these CGI marvels manually, and is therefore an important tool in high-end game creation. But as we’ll explore in the following paragraph, most of these tools take a creative mind to effectively learn.

An industry shift in the creative digital arena is inevitable. Whereas creatives were hired for their conceptualization and creativity, today they are also hired because they actually understand how these programs work and have been trained on how to use them.

Ultimately, AI is somewhat limited. It cannot ‘create’ without one important element… imagination.

What is the Future Limit of Human Participation with AI?

Let’s analyze this neat little word: IMAGINATION. AI does not have the capability to imagine, because to imagine something is exclusively a human trait. For this reason, it’s worth noting that any AI engine being used, regardless of how powerful it might be, is still limited to the imagination of the person using it.

And let’s be honest, the imagination of any creative is the real engine that drives impressive art outcomes. Add to that the complicated training that goes into learning how to use digital art AI software. Apps, programs and unreal engine platforms with built in AI take a certain type of mind to understand and use.

In many ways each creative process starts with human imagination, moves into a creative process whereby AI does most of the heavy lifting, and finally culminates into a result that needs to be tweaked and quality-controlled by the user.

Whether or not AI will reach the point of being able to generate all of this from scratch remains to be seen, but the probability is highly unlikely.

Are Creatives Losing their Jobs to AI?

Has AI really been threatening the livelihoods of animators? Technology keeps improving, so does that mean jobs are slowly being lost because of it?

Is AI a nifty new tool or a complete replacement of the human creative developer? The answer depends on how creatives receive such technology. Again, this is nothing more than an industry evolution. A new tool has been given to creatives in the arenas of 3D modeling and animation. How will they integrate these tools into their existing work process? Perhaps more importantly, how will they evolve and change their own processes to accommodate such technologies?

It would seem that to fight against such a digital revolution would be pointless, because somewhere along the line a generation of graphic creators will learn how to work with this software and will get paid large sums of money for doing so.

Example

In 2004, the creative team of the Simpsons evolved with the industry and changed their animation style from hand painted cell animation to digital animation. Imagine the air of uncertainty in that studio when this decision got made.

Put yourself in that situation and ask yourself, are you the person who lost their job because your skillset didn’t evolve, or were you the person who evolved with technology to elevate your career? There must have been cell animators who were forced to leave, and others who stayed and studied this new way of doing things.

It’s all about your perspective. AI isn’t necessarily taking jobs away from creatives, but it is changing the industry in ways that we must adapt to.

How Can AI Be Integrated into the Existing Creative Job Space?

As the digital art industry evolves, we as creatives must evolve with it. There are several ways this can be done in a way that benefits the industry, benefits the people who work in that industry, and benefits the clients who pay for this kind of work:

• Look at AI as a tool rather than a replacement.
• Learn the software that’s out there.
• Expand your skill set by learning more than one AI-driven application
• Stay up to date with newer, more advanced applications.
• Find a style and own it as your personal niche within the industry.
• Find the right programs to match that style and master them!

As always, it all comes down to human drive and ingenuity. You’re never too old or too uneducated to learn something new. This is especially true in the world of digital art and 3D modeling. Hard work pays off, and if this means taking time out to learn a new program and expanding your skill set… DO IT!

Final Thoughts

There’s seldom a good reason to abandon your passion because of the introduction of AI into the creative industry. The human mind will always play an important role in the creation of stories, games and art.

In fact, it’s the advent of artistic technology that actually opens up a whole new world of potential to further evolve the creative work space. But AI isn’t going to do it for us. We need to ignite our imaginations to find better and more creative ways to entertain with our art.