Krafton's AI-First Approach: A New Era for Game Development

Krafton, the Korean publisher behind PUBG: Battlegrounds and Inzoi, has announced its transition to an AI-first company, prioritizing AI as a central means of problem-solving. This move involves a complete reorganization and a significant investment in a new GPU cluster. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the directors of PUBG and Inzoi shared their insights on Krafton's AI-first culture and its implications for game development. PUBG: Battlegrounds director Taehyun Kim revealed that Krafton offers a range of AI tools to its studios, but does not force their use. Instead, the studios are free to test and adopt AI tools as they see fit. Kim's team uses AI for code reviews, but not for generating code. They also utilize AI to create concept art, which serves as a starting point for human artists to refine. In contrast, the developers of Inzoi are embracing AI wholeheartedly, using it to enable player mods and generate 3D objects, poses, and animations from user-inputted images and videos. Inzoi's director, Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, believes that AI provides new tools for finding fun, but does not replace human creativity. His team is also experimenting with AI-generated dialogue, which has shown promise but is still imperfect. The use of AI in Inzoi has faced backlash from some players, citing concerns over training data and the potential replacement of human jobs. However, Kjun insists that all AI models in Inzoi are trained on internal data, and he believes that AI tools make developers' jobs easier and more creative. As Krafton continues to invest in AI, it will be interesting to see how its audience's opinions towards AI evolve and whether the company's gamble pays off.