Generative AI continues to be a divisive subject within the gaming and larger entertainment industry. As the technology continues to advance and become more effective for the professional industry-wide, many are concerned about the wider implications of AI and what it could entail for future games and titles.
In fact, the former CEO of PlayStation recently made a snarky remark on the subject, comparing games with heavy AI usage to shovelware.
Over on LinkedIn, Shawn Layden recently responded to a post debating the validity of the term ‘AI slop,’ commonly used to reference images, videos, and other content generated by artificial intelligence.
The original post argued that the term is a means of protecting the human ego and attempting to invalidate the work of AI, since it is a lot quicker and more efficient. According to OpenAI’s Agha Noor, AI makes it so more people can partake in the creative process while preserving the nuance of human input.
Shawn Layden responded to the post, noting that it may be time to bring back the term ‘shovelware’ as an alternative to AI slop. For those unaware, the term typically refers to low-quality software. In the context of games, it can refer to titles that completely ignore quality, copy ideas from other titles in a poor manner, exist for trophy collecting, etc.
“Maybe it’s time to resurrect the term shovelware.” -Shawn Layden
The former PlayStation CEO’s remark suggests that he’s not fully on board with the idea of generative AI being a major technological shift that will redefine the entertainment industry, gaming included. Shawn Layden’s comparison between shovelware and AI also doesn’t inspire much confidence.
However, the industry veteran has previously noted that AI holds the potential to accelerate various tasks in gaming. He appears to believe that the technology can do a lot of good in moderation when paired with the right talent.
