SIP Blog: Ethics & GAI – 7/10/23

Ethics & GAI

By Josiah Boucher, WPI

Generative AI (GAI) is the latest great disruptor, affecting countless industries worldwide. The impact of this technology, however, is still far from fully understood (especially regarding specific contexts- like the games industry). That’s why I’m researching SIP: these teams of young professionals are some of the first to have the opportunity to work with GAI workflows prior to entering the workforce. As a Ph.D. student at WPI researching GAI Ethics, the 2023 SIP program stood out to me as a perfect opportunity to conduct a study of the impact this technology may have. While little is known about the potential benefits (and harms) of these technologies, one thing is certain: work in the games industry will be changed by GAI. Whether jobs are replaced, augmented, or entirely transformed, the nature of what people do throughout the development process of video games will be impacted in some way.

Monty Sharma, the managing director of this program, has encouraged the participants to find uses for GAI in their creative workflow. Bringing the professional development aspect of the program to the forefront, experience integrating GAI into creative workflows may prove to be a valuable career asset in the near future. However, this promising new technology doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Ethical and copyright concerns offer plenty of concerns on their own, but GAI has practical, short-term problems even when those things are set aside. While GAI has the potential to generate visuals, music, writing, and more, the outputs are often lacking. Rarely game-ready out of the box, these assets are found to be artistically inconsistent and need significant touch-ups. One of the more reliable uses is as a troubleshooting tool for programmers; though, even in this case, developers often find incorrect information and unusable code.

While the road ahead is uncertain, the SIP teams are facing important questions: should they use GAI for this project? How could it be applied? For what tasks is it going to be beneficial or detrimental? Why? Asking these questions is the first step in navigating this new space; not only for the teams, but for my research, as well. The biggest call to action in the research of GAI (and the ethical use thereof) is regarding its application to specific fields, and the SIP program is providing fruitful grounds for this investigation in the particular context of game development.

My research up to this point has focused on creative development processes, potential workflow applications of GAI, and the SIP participants use and initial perceptions of this technology. As the program continues into its latter half, my research is shifting to include the positioning of GAI in the professional development of those entering the games industry, the way their work may be changing through the introduction of GAI, and how they perceive the technology may impact their work. Witnessing the development of these games unfold is rewarding work, and I am grateful to the entire SIP team for their participation in this research.