EA’s internal AI tools reportedly causing issues in video game development

EA’s AI integration is reportedly causing issues with the video game development. The publisher is pushing for more generative AI integration, a goal publicized when EA and Stability AI announced a strategic partnership. The partnership was marketed to empower creators and accelerate workflows, but according to a news report from Business Insider, the AI is causing friction in EA’s workforce. 

Anonymous EA staff told Business Insider that the AI tools they were told to use produced flawed code and other “hallucinations” that they needed to correct. In the context of coding, hallucinations are plausible-sounding but illogical code. Another source spoke with Business Insider, stating that creative staff are expected to train AI programs on their own work, creating fear that the technology may replace the demand for talent, such as character artists and level designers. EA spokesman declined to comment on the story. 

Business Insider talked with a laid-off EA employee, who stated that AI was able to perform essential portions of their job. The ex-employee believes that this might have been part of the reason for their layoff; the senior quality-assurance designer worked at Respawn Entertainment Studio, an EA subsidiary. 

AI has, in one form or another, long played a significant role in the video game industry. All computer-controlled characters wield AI; the emerging technology is tied intimately with games. Krafton, a South Korean video game publisher, announced its shift to prioritize AI-first, investing $69.5 million USD to build a GPU cluster, which will serve as the foundation for accelerating the implementation of agentic AI.