Activision Blizzard CEO Says AI Will Have “Profound Impact” On Games, And Here’s How

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has commented on the future of artificial intelligence and how it could impact game development in the future. During a company meeting recently, Kotick said he believes in the future of AI while also noting that it might not all be sunshine and rainbows. He also remarked that he’s known OpenAI founder Sam Altman “for a long time.”

Kotaku, which obtained a record of Kotick’s remarks, reported that the executive said he has a similar feeling now about AI to what he did when he saw the first Macintosh years ago. The executive said he believes AI has the power to have a “meaningful impact” on society in both a positive and negative sense.

“I think one of the things that I’ve experienced over the last year is that same feeling that I had when I saw that first Macintosh, about how meaningful the impact of AI would be on society both positive and negative.”

For gaming, Kotick said AI will have a “profound positive impact.”

“It will enable us to do things that we haven’t been able to do for a long time,” Kotick said. As an example, Kotick said AI technology could deliver Kotick’s “vision for what a new Guitar Hero” game could be. He didn’t share specifics on what this new AI-powered Guitar Hero game might look like, but said, “We’ve never been in a place where AI is going to have a practical reality and applicability for games until now.”

The executive went on to say that AI could help make some of Activision’s more involved games, like Call of Duty, become easier for people to pick up and get comfortable with.

“If you look at games like Call of Duty we have people playing a fraction of what they can play because there’s a lot there and it’s complex to learn,” Kotick said.

In the next 5-7 years, AI will have an “extraordinary” impact on gaming, Kotick said. He did not, however, discuss any potential impact on teams or personnel. Many are wondering if the rise of AI could lead to layoffs.

Kotick is not the only gaming executive who believes AI could have a major impact on the video game business. EA CEO Andrew Wilson recently spoke enthusiastically about the potential for AI to play a major role in the world of video games going forward, while also admitting that some jobs might be lost or displaced.

Activision Blizzard is currently trying to sell itself to Microsoft for $68.7 billion. The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority recently blocked the sale, but Activision Blizzard and Microsoft are both filing appeals… with the help of the Queen’s lawyer.