Embark Studios Remains Cautious About AI Despite Backlash

Embark Studios appears to be taking the recent criticism of its AI use in stride, stating that it has no intention of widely adopting the technology, but also that the backlash has not altered its perspective. In a conversation with PCGN, art director Virgil Watkins noted that the studio's goal is to utilize tools that enable it to achieve things it couldn't before, or to add value to its games. He emphasized that the use of text-to-speech technology was a key factor in allowing the studio to include voiced characters in Arc Raiders, a capability it lacked at the time. Watkins stressed that the studio's focus is on building the best possible experiences with the resources available, and that it will continue to explore emerging technologies to support its content creation. This approach is in line with comments made by Embark Studios' CEO, Patrick Söderlund, who stated that the company's use of AI is not intended to reduce its investment in human talent, but rather to enhance its capabilities.