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 develop 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 relatively new player in the video‑game sector, was founded in 2018 and secured $1.7 million in seed capital two years later.
While the firm has already experimented with AI‑enhanced QA tools, earlier versions required developers to hand over full builds or even source code, creating friction and limiting scalability. According to founder Christoffer Holmgard, those integration‑heavy approaches proved cumbersome and ultimately unsustainable.
The new solution, Holmgard explains, eliminates the need for any internal access to a game’s code. "We treat the product exactly as you would hand it to a QA tester or eventually to the consumer," he says.
"The game runs on a device that mirrors the target platform, our system watches the screen, simulates key actions, records every visual and data point, and then passes the resulting dataset to a second AI that flags anomalies, escalates them to a human reviewer, and asks whether they merit further action." The first phase of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls "building game knowledge." Developers upload assets—artwork, design documents, even raw gameplay footage—and converse with the AI in natural language. "We simply chat with the system about our game, supplementing the dialogue with images or design docs," Holmgard notes. This conversational ingestion helps the AI construct a contextual model of the title, which later informs testing strategies.
Once the AI has a baseline understanding, developers define the test scope. This can range from traditional scripted test cases to novel scenarios that exploit the AI’s strengths. Holmgard emphasizes that human insight remains crucial at this stage: "You need experienced testers to craft prompts and guide the AI so it performs the right actions." During a test run, the system generates bug reports enriched with textual descriptions, short video clips (the "evidence"), and comprehensive log data. These artifacts are handed to a human QA specialist who validates the findings and decides the next steps for production.
Holmgard points out a persistent challenge: distinguishing genuine bugs from intentional features. Ongoing feedback from human testers helps the AI refine its judgment.
"Prompt engineering, pre‑built game knowledge, and iterative human feedback all combine to tune the model over time," he says. Side sees this collaboration as a catalyst for a broader shift in the QA profession. Chief Commercial Officer Martin McBride envisions QA staff evolving into AI engineers, thereby moving up the value chain. "Instead of a linear career that ends at senior tester, our people can become AI specialists, earn higher salaries, and open new career pathways," he explains.
This upskilling could also reverse the off‑shoring trend that has seen many low‑cost testing jobs migrate away from high‑wage regions. By offering higher‑skill roles, Side hopes to bring talent back to those markets. McBride also argues that AI can make QA careers more fulfilling. Repetitive smoke tests and routine verifications currently consume a large portion of a tester’s day, leaving little room for strategic thinking.
"Our AI automates those monotonous tasks, freeing testers to focus on analysis, creative problem‑solving, and higher‑order quality work," he says. This, he believes, leads to greater job satisfaction and professional growth. Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s chief product officer, echoes the sentiment: "Many current tests are mind‑numbingly repetitive.
You don’t need a human to click the same button a hundred times. With AI handling those flows, testers can concentrate on evaluating gameplay, exploring edge cases, and performing more inventive testing.
That’s the core value proposition." Both leaders stress that AI will not replace QA personnel but will augment them. McBride notes that testing costs in certain regions remain extremely low, making a full AI takeover impractical. Instead, providing AI‑enhanced toolsets empowers existing staff to extend their careers and take on more sophisticated responsibilities. "Our ethos is that there will always be a human in the loop," he asserts.
"AI reduces tedious work and human error, raising overall quality while keeping people central to the process." Regarding the types of games the platform currently supports, 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. Fast‑paced 3D open‑world or fighting games remain a future goal. "We’re targeting clients willing to embark on this journey with us, even if they have modest expectations at the start.
Some will demand rapid cost savings, others will be more exploratory," Deslandes says. He adds that pilots will reveal the technology’s limits and potential.
In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai partnership aims to blend human expertise with AI efficiency to reshape game QA. By creating a system that watches gameplay, simulates actions, and produces rich bug reports for human review, the collaboration hopes to streamline testing, elevate the role of QA professionals, and gradually expand into more complex gaming experiences as the technology matures. The six‑month MOU marks the first step in what both companies describe as a long‑term journey toward smarter, more human‑centric quality assurance.