Side, a seasoned 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 commits the two companies to co‑develop an AI‑enhanced 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 financing two years later. While its early AI‑driven QA tools required developers to hand over complete builds—or even source code—via a plugin and SDK, this approach proved cumbersome and created friction for studios.
According to Modl.ai founder Christoffer Holmgard, the new system eliminates the need for any internal access. "We take the product exactly as you would hand it to a QA tester or eventually to the consumer," he explains. "We run it on a comparable device, capture screen output, simulate key actions, generate a comprehensive data set, and then hand that to a second AI layer that flags potential bugs and escalates them for human review." The first phase of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls "building game knowledge." Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, and other relevant materials, then converse with the AI in plain English (or other natural languages) to teach it the nuances of their title.
Holmgard notes that this conversational interface allows teams to enrich the AI’s understanding with both visual and textual information, creating a robust contextual model of the game. Once the AI has a solid grasp of the project, developers specify the testing objectives.
These can range from traditional test cases—such as verifying menu navigation or checkpoint triggers—to novel scenarios that play to the strengths of the AI system. Holmgard stresses that human expertise is still required at this stage to craft effective prompts and guide the AI’s behavior.
"You need to translate your testing goals into language the AI can act on," he says. During a test run, the system records everything: textual logs, video snippets that serve as evidence, and a full suite of telemetry data. This output is packaged into a bug report that is passed to a human QA specialist for validation.
"The specialist reviews the evidence, decides whether the issue is a true defect or an intended feature, and then determines the next steps for the development pipeline," Holmgard adds. One of the perennial challenges in automated testing is distinguishing a bug from a deliberate gameplay mechanic. Side and Modl.ai plan to improve this discrimination through continuous feedback loops. Human testers annotate bug reports with labels such as "false positive" or "design‑intent," allowing the AI to refine its decision‑making over time.
"Prompt engineering, pre‑built game knowledge, and iterative human feedback together teach the system the subtlety of game design," Holmgard explains. Side sees the partnership as a pathway for its QA workforce to evolve into AI engineers. Chief Commercial Officer Martin McBride says the shift will elevate staff up the value chain, offering higher‑pay roles and new career trajectories. "Instead of a linear ladder from junior tester to senior tester, our people can become AI engineers, designing and fine‑tuning the very tools they once used," he remarks.
This upskilling could also reverse the off‑shoring trend that has seen QA jobs migrate to lower‑cost regions; by adding AI expertise, Side hopes to repatriate talent to markets where it previously disappeared. McBride also highlights the ergonomic benefits of AI assistance.
Repetitive smoke tests and routine verifications often bog down testers, limiting their capacity for strategic analysis. By automating these monotonous tasks, the AI frees human QA professionals to focus on higher‑order activities such as exploratory testing, gameplay assessment, and data‑driven insights. "The tool reduces the burden of repetitive work, enabling a more fulfilling career where testers can think strategically and grow professionally," he says. Modl.ai’s Chief Product Officer Benedikte Mikkelsen echoes this sentiment, noting that many current tests are overly tedious for humans.
"You don’t need a person to repeat the same flow ad infinitum; they can instead evaluate gameplay quality or conduct creative testing," she states, framing AI as a value‑adding complement rather than a replacement. Both executives agree that AI will never fully supplant human QA staff. The price point of manual testing in certain low‑cost regions remains so low that a complete AI takeover is economically impractical. Instead, the goal is to augment human capabilities, extending careers and enhancing job satisfaction.
McBride describes AI as a "sliding scale" where a human is always present in the loop, reinforcing Side’s ethos of blended intelligence. When asked about the types of games the solution currently supports, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Deslandes clarifies that the technology is best suited for simpler titles—puzzle games, card games, and other experiences with repeatable mechanics. High‑intensity, fast‑paced genres such as 3D open‑world adventures or fighting games remain a longer‑term objective. "We are focusing on titles where the AI can demonstrate immediate value, and we are looking for partners willing to pilot this journey with us," Deslandes says.
In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai collaboration aims to create a hybrid QA ecosystem where AI handles bulk, repetitive testing while seasoned humans provide contextual judgment and continuous learning. The partnership promises to upskill the QA workforce, deliver more accurate bug detection, and ultimately reshape how quality assurance is performed across the gaming industry.