"I look at AI almost like a toddler": OG Halo artist says game devs relying on AI for direction are in for "a rude awakening"

Halo 2.

As the debate around generative AI in game development surges in the wake of controversies in games like Kingdom Hearts 4, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, and 1666: Amsterdam, a veteran Halo artist is warning developers against relying on the tech for creative direction.

Eddie Smith, a former Bungie employee and freelance artist who contributed to the original Halo trilogy, tells FRVR he saw AI's mask slip while working on the Las Vegas Sphere production of The Wizard of Oz. In order to wrap the original 4:3 frame film around the venue's massive 16K spherical screen, the production team reportedly used generative AI to create some of the art that would fill the gaps, but quickly found the process more cumbersome than it was worth.