Side, a seasoned services provider, has entered into a six‑month memorandum of understanding with Denmark‑based artificial‑intelligence specialist Modl.ai to co‑develop an AI‑driven quality‑assurance (QA) platform for video games. The agreement binds the two parties to collaborate on a system that blends Side’s extensive QA expertise with Modl.ai’s cutting‑edge machine‑learning technology, aiming to create a solution that augments, rather than replaces, human testers. Side, formerly known as PTW, has been a fixture in the outsourced services arena for many years, delivering testing, localisation, and support services to a wide range of game developers. Modl.ai, by contrast, is a newer entrant to the gaming sector.
Founded in 2018, the Copenhagen‑originated startup secured $1.7 million in seed funding in 2020 and has since been building AI tools intended to streamline the QA process. Martin McBride, Side’s chief commercial officer, summed up the partnership: “The MOU brings together the best of what Side offers and the best of what Modl.ai brings, creating a unique solution. One of the industry’s holy‑grail ambitions is to use AI to enhance QA services, and we believe we have finally cracked it.” Earlier AI‑based QA attempts, including Modl.ai’s first generation, required developers to ship entire builds—or even source code—into the testing environment.
That approach relied on deep integration via plugins and SDKs, which proved cumbersome and created friction for development teams. According to Modl.ai founder Christoffer Holmgard, the new system eliminates that barrier. “We treat the product exactly as you would hand it to a QA tester or eventually to a consumer,” he explains. “You load it onto a comparable device, our AI watches the screen, simulates key actions, records every event, and then passes the data to a second AI that flags potential bugs and escalates them to a human for final review.” The first phase of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls building “game knowledge.” Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, and even converse with the AI in natural language to teach the system the fundamentals of their title.
“All of this happens through plain conversation,” Holmgard notes. “We can add images, design specs, or any other material that helps the AI form a mental model of the game.” Once the AI has a solid grasp of the game world, developers specify the testing objectives.
These can range from traditional test cases—such as verifying UI elements or level loading—to more experimental scenarios that are tailored to the AI’s strengths. Holmgard stresses that human expertise is still essential at this stage: “You need to craft prompts and language that guide the AI to perform the right actions.
It’s a collaborative process.” During a test run, the system captures a wealth of data: textual logs, video snippets that serve as visual evidence, and detailed telemetry. This package is then handed to a seasoned QA specialist, who reviews the findings, decides which issues merit attention, and integrates the results into the broader production pipeline. Holmgard points out a persistent challenge: distinguishing genuine bugs from intentional features.
“Feedback from human testers helps the AI learn these nuances. Over time, as testers label reports as ‘bug,’ ‘not a bug,’ or ‘intended behaviour,’ the model becomes more attuned.” Side envisions this partnership reshaping the career trajectory of its QA workforce.
Rather than remaining in repetitive testing roles, employees can evolve into AI engineers, overseeing the prompts, interpreting AI outputs, and fine‑tuning the system. McBride explains that this shift “moves our people up the value chain, offering higher‑pay roles, new career paths, and the possibility of bringing jobs back to regions where they have previously migrated due to cost pressures.” By automating the most monotonous tasks—such as smoke tests for each new build—testers can focus on strategic analysis, creative exploration of gameplay, and higher‑level problem solving.
Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s chief product officer, echoes this sentiment: “There are many tedious tests that humans repeat over and over. An AI can handle those flows, freeing testers to assess the game experience, devise novel test scenarios, and contribute more creatively.” The partnership, however, is not about eliminating human QA.
McBride emphasizes that AI is a tool that “augments” rather than replaces staff. “Testing costs are still low in some regions, making a complete AI takeover unrealistic. By giving our people AI‑enhanced toolkits, we extend their careers and keep talent engaged.” Both companies stress a “human‑in‑the‑loop” philosophy. Side describes AI as a sliding scale: the more routine the task, the higher the automation; the more nuanced the decision, the greater the human involvement.
McBride says this ethos “reduces error, lifts the overall quality, and lets our people apply their expertise where it matters most.” Regarding applicability, Side’s chief operating officer Oliver Deslandes notes that the current solution is best suited for simpler titles—puzzle games, card games, or other experiences with repeatable mechanics—rather than fast‑paced 3D open‑world or fighting games. “We’re focusing on projects where the AI can reliably interpret screen output and interact with predictable systems.
More complex, high‑speed games will come later as the technology matures.” Deslandes adds that early adopters will likely be studios willing to pilot the system and iterate together, acknowledging that the journey is incremental. In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai collaboration aims to blend human expertise with AI efficiency, creating a QA ecosystem where routine testing is automated, human testers are elevated to analytical and engineering roles, and the overall process becomes faster, less error‑prone, and more rewarding for the workforce. The partnership marks a significant step toward a future where AI acts as a scalable assistant, always overseen by skilled professionals who ensure that the final product meets the high standards gamers expect.