From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd
not that I necessarily find it that much better if it's for video games.
Source:
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/wizards-of-the-coast-ai-engineer-job-posting-response/
Wizards of the Coast Responds After Making AI-Related Job Posting; "Our
Stance on AI Hasn't Changed"
Wizards of the Coast says a recent AI-related job posting is for video
games and not Dungeons & Dragons or Magic: The Gathering.
By Christian Hoffer - June 2, 2024 07:47 pm EDT
Wizards of the Coast has responded after tabletop enthusiasts discovered
a job posting related to generative AI on their webpage. Over the
weekend, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts
expressed dismay and outrage over a job listing for a "Principal AI
Engineer" posted in early May. The job post asks for "proven experience
with AI/ML systems in at least one of the following areas: simulation,
asset creation, and generative content" and also states that the AI
engineer would be responsible for designing, building and deploying
systems "for intelligent generation of text dialog, audio, art assets,
NPC behaviors, and real time bot frameworks."
However, while many were quick to assume that Wizards of the Coast was exploring AI development in their core tabletop games, Wizards told
ComicBook that the job description was related to future video game
projects, which is a growing part of the Hasbro subsidiary. "Our stance
on AI hasn't changed," Wizards of the Coast told ComicBook. "This job description is for a role for future video game projects. You can
reference our AI FAQ here." Wizards has started several game studios in
the past five years that are developing a number of AAA video games,
including the recently announced Exodus.
Both the Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering teams have been
clear that art made with generative AI projects are not to be used by freelance illustrators and writers working on products for their
company. Additionally, Wizards has made a series of statements stating
that the games are built on the "innovation, ingenuity, and hard work of talented people" and not generative AI. However, Wizards has faced
several AI-related controversies, with one artist admitting to using generative AI in pieces submitted for Bigby's Presents: Glory of the
Giants and Magic: The Gathering's marketing team using images that
featured AI-generated backgrounds. Wizards has moved quickly when
confronted on both controversies rCo they immediately commissioned new
artwork to replace the AI-affected pieces in Bigby's Presents: Glory of
the Giants, and they also pulled the AI-generated Magic: The Gathering marketing images and apologized (although the company initially said
that the pieces were created by people).
Although the D&D and Magic brand teams have remained resolute that their
games would be made by humans, upper management has been far more open
about the prospect of AI. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks (who previously was the president of Wizards of the Coast before his promotion) referred to
D&D's fifty years of adventures and Magic: The Gathering's deep catalog
of artwork as potential sources for AI learning databases in a recent interview, stating that "Wizards can leverage [existing D&D and Magic products] to be able to build very interesting and compelling use cases
for AI that can bring our characters to life. We can build tools that
aid in content creation for users or create really interesting gamified scenarios around them." Cocks said in the same interview that he uses AI-generated artwork in his home game and uses ChatGPT to aid in
adventure creation.
Wizards' parent company Hasbro also uses AI in several tabletop
products, including AI-generated questions for its online Trivial
Pursuit Infinite and an AI-powered Oujia board.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2