Side, a long‑standing 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 partnership is aimed at co‑creating an AI‑powered quality‑assurance (QA) platform that blends Side’s deep testing expertise with Modl.ai’s cutting‑edge machine‑learning capabilities. Modl.ai, a relative newcomer to the gaming sector, was founded in 2018 and secured $1.7 million in seed financing two years later.
According to Side’s chief commercial officer, Martin McBride, the agreement “effectively brings together the best of what Side has and the best of what Modl.ai has into a unique solution.” He adds that the gaming industry has been searching for a “holy‑grail” AI‑enhanced QA experience, and Side believes the joint effort may finally deliver it. Earlier AI‑driven QA tools, including earlier versions from Modl.ai, required developers to hand over complete builds or even source code to the testing vendor.
Those solutions relied on integration plugins and SDKs, creating friction and, as Modl.ai founder Christoffer Holmgard notes, “became difficult over time.” The new system eliminates the need for any internal access. Instead, developers supply the product exactly as they would to a human tester or, eventually, to a consumer.
The game runs on a device that mirrors the target platform, while the AI watches the screen, simulates key actions, records every observable event, and then passes the resulting data to a second AI layer that flags potential bugs. Human reviewers then decide whether each issue warrants further action. 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. Holmgard explains that the system learns the game’s context through these dialogues, images, and documents, creating a semantic model that the AI can reference during testing.
Next, the development team defines the testing scope. This can range from traditional test cases to novel scenarios that are specifically crafted to leverage the AI’s strengths.
Holmgard emphasizes that human expertise is still essential at this stage: “You need to adapt the prompting and language to guide the AI to do the right things.” During a test run—referred to by Modl.ai as a “session”—the platform generates bug reports that include textual descriptions, short video clips (the “evidence”), and comprehensive log data. These artefacts are handed over to a human QA specialist who reviews them and decides how to incorporate the findings into the production pipeline.
One of the persistent challenges for AI in gaming QA is distinguishing a genuine bug from an intentional feature. Holmgard says that continuous feedback from human testers helps the system learn these nuances. “Prompting, pre‑built game knowledge, and ongoing feedback from testers all contribute to refining the model over time,” he notes. Side envisions a future where QA staff evolve into AI engineers, shifting the value chain upward.
McBride explains that this transition can raise salaries, open new career paths, and even bring jobs back to regions where they have previously migrated due to low‑cost labor pressures. By automating repetitive, low‑skill tasks, the AI frees testers to focus on strategic analysis, creative problem‑solving, and higher‑order evaluation of gameplay.
“AI reduces the burden of repetitive tests,” McBride says. “For every new build we have to run smoke tests and numerous verifications that can bog down a tester’s workflow. Automating those lets our people think more strategically and have a more fulfilling career.” Modl.ai’s chief product officer, Benedikte Mikkelsen, echoes this sentiment: “There are very tedious tests that testers perform now.
You don’t need a human to repeat the same flow over and over. That person could be assessing gameplay or conducting more creative testing, which is the real value proposition of AI.” Both leaders stress that AI will not replace QA professionals but will augment them, moving talent up the value chain.
McBride points out that testing costs remain low in certain countries, making a full AI takeover impractical. Instead, providing advanced toolsets enables staff to extend their careers and maintain higher‑skill roles.
Side’s philosophy treats AI as a “sliding scale” where a human is always present in the loop. “That’s our ethos,” McBride affirms. “The tool lets us harness the best of AI while reducing human error and fatigue, ultimately raising the overall quality of the output.” When asked about the types of games the solution currently supports, Side’s chief operating officer, Oliver Deslandes, admits the technology is best suited for simpler titles—puzzle games, card games, and other experiences with repeatable mechanics. Fast‑paced, complex 3D open‑world or fighting games are still a ways off.
Deslandes adds that early adopters will likely be clients willing to experiment and accept a learning curve as the platform matures. In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai partnership aims to blend human expertise with AI efficiency, creating a QA workflow that automates routine testing while preserving the critical judgment of experienced testers. By doing so, it aspires to raise the skill level of QA teams, create new career trajectories, and ultimately deliver higher‑quality gaming experiences for players worldwide.