Megan Morgan Hiuinyo, former head of development at Santa Monica Studio, is confident that artificial intelligence in games is here to stay forever. In her opinion, resisting its implementation is "like shooting yourself in the foot." The developer urges the industry to lead the development of AI, not reject it.
According to Hiuinyo, AI is a tool, not a replacement for people. As an example, she cited SpeedTree, used in 2002 for the automatic generation of vegetation in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and motion capture, once criticized, but now mandatory.
Hiuinyo believes that history repeats itself: generative AI is the next big leap, comparable to key innovations in the industry. But she warns: this is not a "magic solution" to economic problems. AI will not automatically reduce the cost of AAA games and will not stop the closure of studios, because the value of a project is determined by its gameplay and story soul.
"A game can be beautiful, with immersive music and great graphics, but if it is not interesting and the story is not human, players will not love it."
She is also confident that creativity and the heart of games remain with people.
