Miyamoto: AI won't replace human designers in games
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said designers will always have a role, comparing generative AI to his generation's move from typewriters to word processors.
Shigeru Miyamoto said generative AI will not remove the role of human designers in game creation, speaking at a press conference dedicated to his upcoming Order of Culture award, according to Eurogamer. The Nintendo developer said that even if the technology eventually handles everything, a place will remain for people who design.
Miyamoto compared the coming shift to his own generation's move from typewriters to word processors, framing AI as a change in tools rather than the end of authorship.
He also argued that work produced by copying and pasting rarely lasts, because it lacks an individual design intention behind it.
Studios weigh in on AI
The comments come as several major studios have said they use generative AI in some form, among them Sega, Capcom, Level-5 and Epic Games. Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu said previously that the company would be aggressive in applying AI, while Xbox opened a division seemingly dedicated to experimenting with the technology.
Others in the industry have voiced caution. Masahiro Sakurai recently said generative AI might lead to a surge of unoriginal, unprofitable games, and last year former Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said Nintendo's games would retain a human touch.
Next month, Miyamoto will become the first video game developer awarded Japan's Order of Culture.
Quick answers
What did Shigeru Miyamoto say about generative AI?
He said generative AI will not eliminate the role of human designers, even if it eventually handles everything, and compared the shift to his generation's move from typewriters to word processors.
Why is Miyamoto speaking publicly?
He made the remarks at a press conference dedicated to his upcoming Order of Culture award, which he will receive next month.