Recently, there has been a lot of debate regarding the use of artificial intelligence in video games. The prevailing opinion among many is that AI-generated visual art, audio, animation, and more is an inauthentic replacement that does not stand up to human-created content made with genuine passion and effort. Fortunately, instead of embracing AI, some companies are producing hardware and software that enhances, rather than replaces, the work of human actors. One such company is Dynamic Imaging 4D (DI4D), which recently debuted its new PURE4D 2.0 facial capture technology. Discussing PURE4D 2.0, acclaimed actor, director, and performance capture artist Neil Newbon praised DI4D’s human-centered approach and anti-AI stance.
“Like myself, [DI4D is] staunchly against replacement with AI,” Newbon said in a conversation on the subject with Game Rant. The actor, who is starring in an upcoming short film celebrating the craft of acting and utilizing DI4D’s new capture technology, went on to explain that PURE4D 2.0 allows actors in video games and other media to effectively communicate a depth and nuance of emotion that they couldn’t before. The result, according to Newbon, is a performance that AI could never hope to equal – not now and not in the future.
Starship Simulator Dev Talks Favorite Sci-Fi Designs, FTL Science, and More
Fleetyard Studios director Dan Goiver speaks to Game Rant about his favorite approaches to sci-fi, working with modern FTL science, and more.
He Sees AI as Depriving Humanity of Valuable Experiences
Neil Newbon hasn’t completely counted out a future where humans and AI exist in harmony – he revealed that he’s a fan of Iain M. Banks’ The Culture series and the “integrated…culture” that the books’ humans and robots were eventually able to develop. However, he strongly believes in establishing a delineation between human-created and AI-developed art and creative work, rather than replacing one with the other as is frequently happening in recent years.
In Newbon’s mind, one major danger is the removal of opportunities and creative experiences that should rightfully belong to human actors. Things he experienced as he shared stories of projects like Detroit: Become Human and his recent success as Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion. He wants to see human actors get the same opportunity to take on challenging roles and embark on creative journeys, and is concerned that AI could take away those chances.
I think AI would then rob people of such wonderful experiences. Opportunities, jobs, also connections to other humans, which I think is really important.
Newbon Finds Working With AI “Boring” Compared To Human Actors
Neil Newbon is a busy man – he’s seemingly always got a new project or several on the horizon. But the actor and director emphatically stated that he has no desire to work with AI in the future, as he finds it “boring” compared to the delightful complexity of allowing a human actor to grow and develop in a role.
I don’t want to be given a lot of AI stuff to then have to try and make work. I think it’s incredibly boring…For me as a creative, the idea of trying to work with AI would take 1000 times longer than saying to an actor: “Just take the heat off that a little bit. Raise the stakes on that line. Just give me a beat and really, really stay with that.”
Another element in which human actors surpass AI, according to Newbon, is humanity’s ability to “show you something that you couldn’t possibly have predicted.” He cited his own experiences in the role of Astarion, explaining that his own take on the vampire rogue was initially much different than Larian Studios head Swen Vincke had been imagining. Ultimately, Astarion came away as one of the game’s most beloved characters and won Newbon multiple awards – something that could never have happened if the character’s voice, dialogue, or poignant emotional scenes had been AI-generated.
