EA is doubling down on AI despite the issues it causes
AI is causing mayhem at EA, but the publisher is doubling down
EA has just announced a new partnership with Stability AI, aiming to co-develop AI models that will “empower our artists, designers and developers”. This news follows a Business Insider report detailing the negative impacts of AI within EA. Developers are now spending time fixing flawed AI code, and artist morale has plummeted as their work is being used to train the tools that could replace them.
EA’s leadership has reportedly pressured the publisher’s nearly 15,000 employees to “use AI for just about anything”, BI reported. This AI usage spans seemingly all areas of the business. It’s used to create art, generate code, and even to do managerial work.
One EA staffer claimed that EA’s chatbot “ReefGPT” produced flawed code that developers needed to fix. “So-called hallucinations” needed to be corrected, which meant that this AI code wasted a lot of time. Creative staff, like level designers and character artists, are expected to train EA’s AI tools, tools that will slash EA’s need for this staff if successful.
Some Electronic Arts staffers who spoke with Business Insider under the condition of anonymity say the AI tools they’re encouraged to use, including the company’s in-house chatbot ReefGPT, produce flawed code and other so-called hallucinations that they need to correct. Others say that creative staff are expected to train AI programs on their own work, and that they fear the technology will ultimately slash demand for talent, such as character artists and level designers.
AI is already taking jobs at EA
While sloppy code and the need for error correction and “hallucination” mitigation are clear problems, AI has successfully reduced EA’s headcount. A senior quality assurance employee has claimed that AI “was able to perform a key part of his job”, which they blame as part of the reason why they were let go last summer. AI could review and summarise playtesting feedback, a time-intensive task that required human staff. Now, AI can do this role. Now, EA has fewer people working on QA.
One recently laid-off Electronic Arts employee, who held a senior quality-assurance design position, says that AI was able to perform a key part of his job — reviewing and summarizing feedback from hundreds of play testers. He suspects that this was at least partly why he was among about 100 of his colleagues who were let go this past spring from the company’s Respawn Entertainment studio.
EA is betting heavily on AI to reduce costs. Note that private equity firms are currently acquiring EA. $20 billion of this $55 billion acquisition is being funded by debt. If EA is acquired, this debt needs to be paid. In other words, EA is getting a $20 billion noose tied around its neck. If EA can’t pay that debt, it will result in the company’s downfall.
AI can be seen in two ways. It can automate tasks, freeing up time for more impactful work. Alternatively, it can be used to reduce costs by eliminating human labour. If successful, AI can help EA produce more games in shorter timeframes. However, it could also be used to reduce staffing costs while causing employee misery as train AI tools that will replace them. Based on BI’s reporting, it looks like EA is taking the latter approach.
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