AI has become an integral part of gaming graphics with features such as Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR often dominating performance discussions. Some people may feel as if developers are leaning too much into these technologies, but it’s clear that the adoption of AI isn’t going to slow down any time soon.

DLSS 4 and FSR 4 are the two latest versions of AI upscaling and frame generation technology, shipped with the RTX 50 series and RX 9000 series from Nvidia and AMD respectively. There’s also XeSS 2 on the Intel Arc side of things. When it comes to bringing AI to game development, AMD sees it as a “natural extension” for certain workflows.

World generation in games can benefit from AI, says AMD

We’ve already seen Nvidia discussing AI’s role in game development, with CEO Jensen Huang claiming AI will “reinvigorate the video game industry” chiefly thanks to lower development costs. As for Team Red, AMD’s Jason Banta recently sat down for an interview with Laptop Mag and shared his thoughts on the matter.

It’s clear that AI is seen as a resource that can both help game performance as well as game development. Honing in on the topic of game worlds, Banta says that “Maps are mastered largely static… those environments are somewhat static, somewhat consistent, and that has its advantages as far as predictability of the experience, but it has some disadvantages, and it's kind of repetitive.” Something that can overcome this ‘static’ nature is artificial intelligence.

“I think world generation is a very natural extension to some of the generative AI concepts we're seeing right now, because being able to pick up a game, and maybe it's a game you're familiar with, and getting an entirely new experience.”

“We're already having conversations with game engine developers and game developers who are looking for ways of leveraging models that are more generative in nature. Whether it's the world, the characters, the language… there's a lot to explore there that we're seeing right now.”

Jason Banta, Vice President and General Manager, Client OEM Group, AMD

With both Nvidia and AMD discussing the topic of AI for game development, it seems inevitable that production will turn towards AI to a certain extent, and game worlds or level design seems like a good place to make use of it. As Banta says, there is a lot to explore in several facets of development, from worlds to characters. However, the use of AI doesn’t always go without controversy – the apparent use of AI art in Black Ops 6 wasn’t exactly a hit with fans late last year.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.