Former Activision staff concerned about gen AI tools used in development, including Midjourney
Publisher reportedly trained 2D artists with AI post-layoffs, assured employees gen AI "would not replace them"
Activision Blizzard has reportedly approved the use of generative AI tools including Midjourney and Stable Diffusion for producing concept art and marketing materials.
This is according to a recent investigation by Wired, which obtained an internal memo from Activision's then chief technology officer Michael Vance that approved the use of these generative AI tools. Vance left the role in January 2024 but still works for Activision as a fellow software engineer.
A former employee claimed the publisher "assured its artists that generative AI would be used only for internal concepts, not final game assets" and that "AI would not be used to replace them."
The Wired report highlighted that, unlike Activision, Blizzard reportedly doesn't allow developers to use publicly available AI generators, and is instead developing its own AI tools.
A former employee cited the Microsoft layoffs in January, which saw 1,900 employees cut from its games division, including many 2D artists at Activision. The employee claimed that "the remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid in their work" and that they had to sign up to AI training.
GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.
The investigation also found that Riot is developing its own in-house generative AI system, with head of tech research Wesley Kerr saying it's exploring "generative AI tools that could improve the player experience in ways that align with [its] values."
"We know AI is a complex issue, and will be transparent with players about our intentions," said Kerr.
A recent report from consulting firm CVL Economics found that nearly 90% of video game companies had already used generative AI during development, including for generating storyboards, character designs, renders, and animations.
Many generative AI tools such as Midjourney are trained by scraping artwork from the internet without the original artist's consent. Speaking to Forbes last year, Midjourney's CEO David Holtz said the company does not seek consent for copyrighted work due to issues in identifying where it comes from.