Side, a veteran services provider formerly known as PTW, has entered into a six‑month memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Denmark‑based artificial‑intelligence specialist Modl.ai. The agreement sets the stage for a joint effort to create an AI‑enhanced quality‑assurance (QA) platform that blends the strengths of both companies. While Side brings decades of experience in delivering testing services to the gaming industry, Modl.ai contributes cutting‑edge machine‑learning expertise and a suite of tools that have been evolving since its 2018 founding, when it secured a $1.7 million seed round. Martin McBride, Side’s chief commercial officer, describes the partnership as a marriage of complementary capabilities.
“The MOU essentially combines the best of Side’s deep QA knowledge with Modl.ai’s AI technology to forge a solution that could become a ‘holy grail’ for game developers,” he says. “No one has yet nailed a robust AI‑first QA workflow, and we believe we are on the brink of achieving that.” Historically, AI‑driven QA systems required developers to hand over complete builds or even source code, forcing them to integrate plugins and SDKs into their pipelines. This approach proved cumbersome and, as Modl.ai founder Christoffer Holmgard notes, “became difficult over time.” The new system sidesteps those obstacles by treating the game exactly as a human tester would receive it—no internal code access, no special instrumentation. Instead, the product is installed on a device that mirrors the end‑user’s hardware, and the AI observes the game’s visual output, simulates inputs, and records every interaction.
The process begins with what Modl.ai calls “building game knowledge.” Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, and other relevant materials, then converse with the AI in natural language to teach it the game’s mechanics, narrative, and intended player experience. This conversational training layer allows the system to develop a contextual understanding that goes beyond raw data. Once the AI has a baseline comprehension, developers specify the testing objectives.
These can range from conventional test cases—such as verifying UI elements or checking level‑load times—to more exploratory scenarios that are uniquely suited to AI, like probing emergent gameplay patterns. Holmgard emphasizes that human expertise is still essential at this stage: “You need to craft prompts and guide the AI so it performs the right actions.
That’s where a tester’s insight becomes invaluable.” During a test run, the AI plays the game, captures screen recordings, logs input sequences, and compiles a comprehensive data set. When the session concludes, a second AI layer analyses the collected information, flags anomalies, and generates bug reports.
Each report includes textual descriptions, short video clips as evidence, and detailed logs. These artifacts are then handed to a human QA specialist, who validates the findings, categorises the issues, and decides on remediation steps.
One of the perennial challenges in game QA is distinguishing a genuine defect from an intentional feature. Holmgard explains that the system improves its judgment through continuous feedback loops. Human testers label each report as a bug, a non‑bug, or a design‑intended behavior, and over time the AI refines its internal model to better recognise subtle nuances in game design.
Side envisions this collaboration reshaping the career trajectory of its QA workforce. Rather than remaining in repetitive testing roles, employees can evolve into “AI engineers,” overseeing prompt engineering, model training, and result interpretation.
McBride argues that this shift elevates the value chain: “Our people can move from executing smoke tests to designing intelligent test strategies, earning higher salaries and opening new career pathways.” He adds that by upskilling staff, Side may even repatriate jobs to regions where low‑cost testing has previously been outsourced, because the higher‑skill AI‑focused roles command better compensation. The impact on day‑to‑day work is also significant. McBride notes that the AI tool automates many of the monotonous checks that testers currently perform for every new build—smoke tests, regression checks, and repetitive UI validations.
By offloading these tasks, testers can concentrate on strategic analysis, creative exploration, and deeper gameplay evaluation, leading to more fulfilling careers. Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s chief product officer, echoes this sentiment: “There are tedious, repetitive flows that no human needs to repeat endlessly. Freeing testers from those chores lets them focus on higher‑order testing, such as assessing game balance or crafting novel test scenarios.” Both leaders stress that AI will never fully replace human QA professionals.
The price of labor in certain low‑cost regions remains a factor, and a complete automation of testing is neither feasible nor desirable. Instead, AI serves as an augmentation tool that lifts human workers up the value chain, extending their tenure and broadening their skill sets.
McBride encapsulates Side’s philosophy by describing AI as a “sliding scale” with a permanent human‑in‑the‑loop. “That’s our ethos,” he says. “The technology reduces manual effort and human error, but the final judgment always rests with a person.” When asked about the types of games the solution currently supports, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Deslandes is candid: the system excels with simpler titles—puzzle games, card games, and other experiences with repeatable mechanics.
Fast‑paced, graphically intensive 3D open‑world or fighting games remain a longer‑term goal. Deslandes adds that early adopters should be developers willing to experiment and iterate, as the technology is still maturing.
In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai partnership aims to deliver an AI‑powered QA framework that respects the intricacies of game development while empowering human testers to focus on higher‑value work. By blending natural‑language interaction, visual observation, and iterative feedback, the joint solution aspires to set a new standard for efficiency, accuracy, and career development in the gaming quality‑assurance landscape.