2 weeks Ago By Derek Strickland
Today, EA demoed its ambitious new experimental AI technology to investors, showing off ideas that could change gaming forever. During its Investor's Day stream, live service publisher Electronic Arts outlined specific ideas on how to best use generative AI to transform gaming experiences. In one of the AI concepts, dubbed "Imagination to Creation," EA Chief Strategy Officer Mihi Vaidya showed off a video where two gamers used a ChatGPT-like prompt to quickly create an in-game map, mode, and characters --all using EA's first-party asset library.
The publisher is mining decades of game files from titles like Battlefield and Apex Legends to help fuel its vision for AI-powered User-Generated Experiences (UGX). The chat prompt is just an experimental concept, and Vadiya was careful to say that its UGX tools "aren't meant to replace AAA games." EA instead wants to use its Imagination to Creation vision to supplement AAA gaming with a new line of engagement and monetization.
"We believe AI is the next great opportunity to unlock new levels of value long-term," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in the stream. Below we have a quick transcript of what Vaidya said during the stream. His words highlight what could very well be the future of gaming in the next 5 or so years, especially given EA's heavy emphasis on live services and microtransaction-driven economies; UGC, or UGX, is powered by the kind of Roblox-like economy where users will be able to purchase in-game skins and the like, or potentially wrapped in an EA-branded subscription service.
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