Concerns around breach of intellectual property (IP) have stopped major game production companies like Nintendo from using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in game development.
While generative AI tools have proved their creative potential in the recent past, their commercial use highly depends on the source of data sets used to train the AI models. As a result, Japanese video game company Nintendo has decided not to use generative AI elements in upcoming games.
During a shareholders’ general meeting, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa shared his reluctance to use generative AI for game development.
Future of generative AI in gaming
When asked about Nintendo’s plans to utilize AI, Furukawa acknowledged the long-standing relationship between game development and AI technology. However, using generative AI elements could risk a breach of IP. According to a rough translation of his response:
“Generative AI, which has become a hot topic in recent years, can do more creative things, but on the other hand, we recognize that it also has problems related to intellectual property rights.”
He further stated that new-age technology and tools like generative AI alone cannot deliver the value gamers seek. “We have decades of know-how to create the best gaming experience for our customers,” Furukawa added while supporting his decision not to use AI tools.
Related: Bitcoin blockchain hosts classic SNES games
On the other end of the spectrum, Bitcoin developers are ensuring that Nintendo’s legacy lives forever.
Nintendo lives in Bitcoin
A group of onchain ninjas recently inscribed an emulator for the Nintendo 64 (N64) console on the Bitcoin network as they campaign for the preservation of classic video games using the blockchain.
Trevor Owens, the CEO of Bitcoin Ordinals portfolio tracker Ninjalerts, who developed the “Pizza Ninjas” project to inscribe the N64 emulator on Bitcoin using the Ordinals protocol. He said:
“We want to advance the conversation with preservationists around classic games and hope that effort can be taken by the community to figure out how to put the critically endangered games onchain in a legal way.”
Answering concerns around copyright infringement, Owens said that they advocate for finding legal ways to preserve the games onchain.