Another actor in the gaming industry is calling out AI, and despite the unstoppable beast continuing at an unprecedented rate, the synthetic feel doesn’t do it forBaldur’s Gate 3’s Neil Newbon.
This year has been a whirlwind of mixed emotions regarding AI advancement. On one hand, it appears big tech companies like Apple, Meta, Google and even Tesla are investing fortunes in the industry, while on the other, human beings on the bottom rung of the ladder worry about companies thinking they’re redundant. Just last year (and heading into this year), actors joined hands en masse to show that they mean business when it comes to preserving protectionagainst AI by striking out against tech,and another has just joined their ranks.
Neil Newbon is pretty outspoken, especially when it comes to howhands-on gaming mocap saved his career, so, of course, he would have an opinion against the use of AI in creative works. In a new interview withRadio Times Gaming(spotted byPC Gamer), Newbon goes in-depth on how the human aspect of creative work reigns supreme when it comes to entertainment.
Newbon puts it plainly by saying, “AI sucks,” adding that without the human element present in film and games, everything feels less real and more synthetic to audiences.
Neil Newbon On AI: “What’s The Joy In It?”
Channeling his inner Bob Ross, Newbon goes on to explain that there are “happy accidents” in film that wouldn’t be present with a sterilized AI-crafted work. As Newbon explains, “It’s synthetic, it’s not real. It doesn’t have the happy accident possibility and capability that are great moments in film, TV, theatre, and games. Where nobody can predict; it just happened. It was magical.” Newbon then uses the example of a Dustin Hoffman scene in Midnight Cowboy to elaborate.
In the film, Hoffman is seen slamming the hood of a taxi, saying “I’m walking here!” in a moment that was unplanned by production, which ultimately made the film better in Newbon’s eyes. According to Newbon, these “happy accidents” are what make movies so much better for audiences. Due to the synthetic nature of AI, he is not a fan at all and believes that it always feels “off.”
