Side, a seasoned services provider formerly known as PTW, has entered into a six‑month memorandum of understanding with Denmark‑based artificial‑intelligence specialist Modl.ai. The agreement sets the stage for a joint effort to build an AI‑powered quality‑assurance (QA) platform that blends Side’s extensive testing expertise with Modl.ai’s cutting‑edge machine‑learning capabilities. Modl.ai, a relatively new player in the gaming sector, was founded in 2018 and secured $1.7 million in seed capital two years later. While the company has already experimented with AI‑driven QA tools, earlier versions required developers to hand over entire game builds—or even source code—so the system could run its analyses.
That approach, which relied on integration via plugins and SDKs, proved cumbersome and generated friction for development teams, according to founder Christoffer Holmgard. The new solution sidesteps those hurdles.
Holmgard explains that the system treats the game exactly as a human tester would receive it: a compiled build installed on a device that mirrors the end‑user environment. The AI then "plays" the title by watching the screen, simulating inputs, and logging every observable event. A second AI layer reviews the generated data, flags potential defects, and escalates them to a human reviewer for final validation. The first phase of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls "building game knowledge." Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, or any other relevant material and converse with the AI in natural language.
Through this dialogue, the system constructs an internal model of the game's mechanics, narrative, and visual style. Once that foundation is in place, the development team defines the testing scope—ranging from conventional test cases to novel scenarios tailored to the AI’s strengths.
Holmgard stresses that human expertise remains indispensable at this stage. "You need to shape the prompts and guide the AI so it performs the right actions," he notes.
After the AI runs a "session"—Modl.ai’s term for a test run—it produces a comprehensive bug report that includes textual descriptions, short video clips as evidence, and detailed log files. These artifacts are handed over to a seasoned QA specialist, who reviews the findings, decides on their severity, and determines the appropriate remediation steps. One of the enduring challenges in automated testing is distinguishing genuine bugs from intentional game features.
Holmgard says the system improves over time by ingesting feedback from human testers. When a tester marks a flagged issue as "not a bug" and explains why, that information is fed back into the AI, refining its future judgments. Side sees this collaboration as a catalyst for reshaping QA careers. Chief Commercial Officer Martin McBride envisions QA personnel evolving into "AI engineers," moving up the value chain and gaining higher‑paying, more intellectually rewarding roles.
By automating repetitive, low‑skill tasks—such as smoke tests for each new build—testers can focus on strategic analysis, creative exploration, and higher‑level problem solving. "The tool lifts the burden of monotonous checks," McBride says. "Our people can spend more time interpreting results, assessing gameplay, and contributing to design decisions, which makes their work more fulfilling and opens new career pathways." Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s Chief Product Officer, echoes this sentiment, noting that many current QA activities involve tedious, repeatable flows that a machine can handle far more efficiently.
"When the AI takes over those rote processes, humans are free to evaluate the game experience itself and conduct more inventive testing," she adds. Both companies are clear that AI will not replace QA professionals but will augment them. McBride explains that the economics of testing in low‑cost regions make a total automation takeover impractical at present.
Instead, providing testers with AI‑enhanced toolkits helps retain talent, extend career longevity, and potentially bring jobs back to markets that have lost them due to price pressures. Side’s philosophy treats AI as a "sliding scale"—a spectrum where human involvement gradually recedes but never disappears. "There will always be a human in the loop; that’s our ethos," McBride affirms. By eliminating human error in routine tasks, the partnership aims to raise overall quality and consistency across game releases.
When asked about the types of games the system can currently handle, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Deslandes is candid: the technology is best suited for simpler titles—puzzle games, card games, and other experiences with repeatable mechanics—rather than fast‑paced 3D open‑world or fighting games. "We are focusing on projects where the AI can demonstrate value early on," he says, emphasizing that early adopters will likely be developers willing to pilot the technology and iterate together.
Deslandes concludes that the journey is just beginning. "If you join us now and run pilot programs, you’ll see how the AI evolves and where it can take your QA processes," he remarks, underscoring the collaborative nature of the six‑month MOU. In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai partnership seeks to blend human insight with artificial intelligence to create a more efficient, accurate, and rewarding QA ecosystem. By automating the drudgery of repetitive testing while preserving expert oversight, the alliance hopes to set a new standard for game quality assurance that benefits developers, testers, and players alike.