Todd Howard shared his thoughts on new technologies — according to one of Bethesda's top executives, neural networks are important for the industry, but developers should be cautious with new tools.
Todd Howard, producer of The Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5, shared his vision of the future of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry. In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, he stated that the boom around language models is not a short-lived fad, but specific scenarios for their application in game development remain unclear.
According to Howard, the pace of AI development is so rapid that any conclusions quickly become outdated. That is why the studio prefers to take a cautious approach and review its strategies every few months.
A cautious approach instead of blind hype
Todd Howard emphasized that AI technologies are evolving rapidly: new models appear almost every quarter, especially in areas related to code and performance optimization. This makes AI a useful tool for the technical part of the production process.
Bethesda Game Studios is already experimenting with using AI to work with large data sets and routine technical tasks. This approach allows the team to complete labor-intensive processes faster and focus on the creative aspects of development.
A clear line: AI does not create content for Bethesda games
Despite experimenting with automation tools, Howard outlined the studio's fundamental position: AI is not used to generate content that goes directly into games.
In his opinion, human artistic vision, a sense of style, and the “handiwork” of developers are critical to game creation. According to Howard, it is these elements that make game worlds unique and emotionally valuable to players.