"AI is a powerful tool for enhancing creativity," argues Ghostrunner 2's art director

Generative AI is a hot topic every creative is grappling with, but video game art director Wojciech Wilk is cautiously optimistic about how AI can aid video game development.

Ghostrunner 2 is Dune meets Half-Life, believes art director Wojciech Wilk when I recently interviewed the art team. He's not shy about tackling the spectre of generative AI head-on either, and with AI tools being added to Maya and Nvidia's Ai for lifelike NPCs the industry isn't slowing down on making use of this technology.

Wilk tells me, "Generative AI is poised to revolutionise not only game development but the entire world around us. I'm particularly eager to witness its full potential, especially during the preproduction phase." 

The art director continues: "This technology has the capability to generate and test a multitude of ideas, vastly expanding the scope of possibilities. It's a powerful tool for enhancing creativity, offering a broader canvas for art direction and the iteration process."

But even though he can foresee clear uses for generative AI in game development, it comes with a caution. "While AI tools are undeniably game-changers, they'll always require skilled experts to operate them effectively. I hold an optimistic outlook on AI tools within the realm of game development."

It's worth noting generative AI hasn't been used in the development of Ghostrunner 2, but as with other developers and studios the prospect of making use of AI to speed up the drudgery of some aspects of development is clearly an enticing one. We're seeing AI tools for animation to speed up workflows and even an AI tool for Unreal Engine 5 that could replace some modelling tasks.