Side, a seasoned 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 build an AI‑driven quality‑assurance (QA) platform that blends the strengths of both companies into a single, market‑ready offering.
Modl.ai, a relatively new player in the gaming sector, was founded in 2018 and secured $1.7 million in seed capital two years later. While Side brings decades of experience in outsourced services and a deep talent pool, Modl.ai contributes cutting‑edge machine‑learning algorithms and a vision for how AI can augment, rather than replace, human QA work. "The MOU essentially fuses the best of Side’s operational expertise with Modl.ai’s AI technology into a unique solution," explains Martin McBride, Side’s chief commercial officer. "The industry has been hunting for a reliable AI‑enhanced QA approach for years; we believe we’ve finally found it." Earlier AI‑based QA tools, including Modl.ai’s previous generation, required developers to ship complete builds or even share source code so that the AI could run tests internally.
This "integration‑heavy" model relied on plugins and SDKs and proved cumbersome, creating friction for developers and slowing down iteration cycles. According to Modl.ai founder Christoffer Holmgard, the new system eliminates that barrier entirely. "We treat the product exactly as you would hand it to a human tester or eventually to a consumer," Holmgard says.
"You load it onto a comparable device, and our AI watches the screen, simulates inputs, records every visual and telemetry event, and then passes that data to a second AI layer that flags anomalies, creates bug reports, and escalates items that need human judgment." The first phase of the workflow is what Modl.ai calls "building game knowledge." Developers upload assets, design documents, screenshots, or even short video clips, and then converse with the AI in plain English (or other natural languages) to teach it the fundamentals of the title. "We’re essentially having a dialogue with the system about the game, enriching its understanding with both text and visual cues," Holmgard explains. 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 times—to novel scenarios that are particularly well‑suited to AI‑driven exploration. "Crafting effective prompts and guiding the AI’s language model requires human expertise," Holmgard notes. "That’s where seasoned QA professionals add value, shaping the AI’s behavior to match the testing goals." During a test run, the system captures a wealth of data: textual logs, video snippets that serve as evidence, and comprehensive telemetry streams. This package is handed off to a human QA specialist who reviews the findings, decides which issues merit further investigation, and annotates the reports with context.
"Distinguishing a genuine bug from an intended feature can be subtle," Holmgard says. "Human feedback helps the AI refine its judgment over time, creating a feedback loop that continuously improves accuracy." Side envisions this collaboration reshaping the career trajectory of its QA staff. Rather than remaining in repetitive testing roles, employees can transition into "AI engineers," overseeing prompt design, model tuning, and data‑analysis tasks.
McBride argues that this shift elevates workers up the value chain, enabling higher wages, new career pathways, and the possibility of repatriating jobs that have migrated to lower‑cost regions. "By automating the drudgery of smoke tests and routine checks, we free our testers to focus on strategic analysis and creative problem‑solving," McBride adds. "The AI handles the monotonous loops, while our people apply their expertise to higher‑order decisions, making their work more fulfilling and impactful." Benedikte Mikkelsen, Modl.ai’s chief product officer, echoes this sentiment: "Many current tests are mind‑numbingly repetitive.
You don’t need a human to click the same sequence a hundred times. Instead, they can evaluate gameplay feel, explore emergent behavior, or design novel test scenarios—activities that truly leverage human insight." Both leaders stress that AI is not a wholesale replacement for QA talent.
The price point for manual testing in certain low‑cost markets remains low, making a complete AI takeover economically impractical. However, by equipping testers with AI‑enhanced tools, Side can retain talent longer, upskill its workforce, and maintain quality standards.
McBride describes Side’s philosophy as a "sliding scale" of automation: "There will always be a human in the loop—that’s our ethos. AI reduces error rates and the tedium of repetitive tasks, allowing people to operate at a higher level of precision and creativity." When asked about the types of games the solution currently supports, COO Oliver Deslandes admits the technology is best suited for less complex titles—puzzle games, card games, and other experiences with repeatable mechanics. "Fast‑paced 3D open‑world adventures are still a way off; we’re focusing on games where the mechanics are predictable enough for the AI to learn effectively," he explains.
"Our early adopters are developers willing to pilot the system, understand its limitations, and help us iterate toward broader applicability." Deslandes concludes that the partnership is a journey. "If you join us now and run pilot projects, you’ll see firsthand how the technology evolves and where it can take your QA process. The path forward is collaborative, and the potential benefits—cost savings, faster release cycles, and more engaging careers—are compelling for anyone invested in game quality."