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The rise of AI has been pretty terrifying to watch, as the advanced technology seemingly permeates every facet of our lives, replacing real people everywhere it goes.
In the business of video game development in particular, those who work in the industry have every right to be fearful, with AI able to do a version of everything from create artwork to writing scripts.
Now, obviously it never manages to reach the same level as an experienced professional, but the savings that companies can make has led many people to lose their jobs, despite the better standard of their work.
As such, many professional labour movements, as well as individuals across the board, are very resistant to its use in games, and games don't come any bigger than the pending release of GTA VI.
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Unfortunately, it seems that the CEO of Take-Two has started to lay the groundwork for its use, sparking fears that we may see the influence of AI in the new game.
As first reported by Wccftech, via an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick shared his thoughts on the use of trained AI to reduce workloads.
He said: "Historically, we had to script every single action that a character engaged in, and because it is interactive, think about how much scripting that is.
"Now, we're always going to need great writers, and we always will have plenty of scripting, but characters should be able to be trained on that very scripting that has been created by great writers and then interact in a way that feels more natural.
"I do see that happening."
The obvious fear there is that the workload will be reduced to a point that Rockstar or any other studio is able to eliminate a sizeable portion of their workforce.
In fairness to Zelnick, he did address this later in proceedings, assuring audiences that they had no intention of reducing staff if AI creates greater efficiency.
"Table stakes are creating more efficiency in development and marketing, and every enterprise is trying to do that. We're trying to do that and we're seeing some good early results in creating efficiencies," he said.
"By the way, efficiencies is not code for reducing employment, it's code for taking away mundane tasks so people can focus on more interesting, creative tasks."
Unfortunately, it looks as though AI isn't going anywhere for now, so in the meantime, the emphasis is on minimising the harm it causes to both professionals and paying customers.
