Side, a long‑standing services provider formerly known as PTW, has entered into a six‑month memorandum of understanding with Denmark‑based artificial‑intelligence specialist Modl.ai. The agreement sets the stage for a joint effort to create an AI‑driven quality‑assurance (QA) platform that blends Side’s deep industry experience with Modl.ai’s cutting‑edge technology.
Modl.ai, a relatively new player in the gaming sector, was founded in 2018 and secured $1.7 million in seed funding two years later. Its chief commercial officer, Martin McBride of Side, described the partnership as “the best of both worlds” coming together to deliver what he called a “holy‑grail” solution for the games industry.
According to McBride, no existing offering has successfully combined AI with QA in a way that truly augments human testers, and the new collaboration aims to fill that gap. Earlier AI‑enabled QA tools, including Modl.ai’s previous version, required developers to ship entire builds or even provide source code so that the AI could run its analyses. This “integration‑based” approach, which relied on plugins and SDKs, proved cumbersome and created friction for development teams. Founder Christoffer Holmgard explained that the new system eliminates the need for any internal access.
Instead, the product is delivered to the AI exactly as a QA tester—or ultimately a consumer—would receive it. The AI runs the game on a comparable device, watches the screen, simulates key actions, and records a comprehensive data set of everything that occurs. A second AI layer then reviews this data, flags potential bugs, and escalates them to a human reviewer for final validation.
The first stage of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls “building game knowledge.” Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, or any other relevant material, and they converse with the AI in plain natural language. This dialogue helps the system form a contextual understanding of the game’s mechanics, narrative, and visual style. Once this knowledge base is established, developers specify the test scenarios they wish to run—ranging from classic regression cases to novel, AI‑friendly challenges.
Holmgard stresses that human expertise is still essential at this point to craft effective prompts and guide the AI toward the right objectives. When a test run—referred to as a “session” by Modl.ai—is completed, the platform automatically generates bug reports that include textual descriptions, short video clips as evidence, and detailed log files. These artifacts are handed over to a human QA specialist, who reviews them and decides how to act. Holmgard notes that distinguishing a genuine defect from an intended feature can be tricky for an algorithm, and human feedback is crucial for teaching the system those subtle distinctions.
Over time, as testers label reports as bugs, non‑bugs, or edge cases, the AI refines its judgment and becomes more attuned to the nuances of game design. Side envisions a future where QA personnel evolve into AI engineers, shifting the skill set from repetitive test execution to higher‑value activities such as prompt engineering, data analysis, and system optimization. McBride believes this transition will raise the overall value chain, allowing employees to command higher salaries, pursue new career paths, and potentially bring jobs back to regions where low‑cost testing has previously migrated away.
By automating the most monotonous checks—such as smoke tests for each new build—testers can focus on strategic analysis, creative exploration, and deeper gameplay assessment. Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s chief product officer, echoed this sentiment, pointing out that many current tests are tedious and can be reliably performed by a machine.
She argued that freeing humans from repetitive loops enables them to concentrate on more insightful tasks, like evaluating player experience or devising innovative test scenarios. Both companies stress that AI is not a replacement for human QA but a tool that elevates the role of testers.
McBride also highlighted the company’s “sliding‑scale” philosophy: AI assistance will vary depending on the cost structure and expertise available in different regions, but a human will always remain in the loop. This approach, he says, reduces error rates and mitigates the fatigue that often leads to oversight in manual testing. Regarding the types of games the solution can handle today, Side’s chief operating officer Oliver Deslandes clarified that 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 are still a ways off.
Deslandes emphasized that early adopters should be willing to pilot the system and collaborate on its evolution, recognizing that the journey will involve iterative improvements and scaling challenges. In summary, the Side‑Modl.ai partnership aims to blend AI’s speed and consistency with human insight and creativity, creating a QA workflow that is both more efficient and more rewarding for the people who perform it. By automating routine checks and providing a feedback loop that continuously refines the AI’s understanding, the collaboration hopes to set a new standard for quality assurance in the gaming industry, while also reshaping career trajectories for QA professionals worldwide.