Nintendo Weighs AI Use in Game Development, Emphasizes Human Touch

Nintendo boss discusses AI use, says games will always have "a human touch"

Nintendo has shared its thoughts on AI use, and assured its games will always have "a human touch". Nintendo's Switch 2 promotion is currently in full swing and, along with its Direct last week that gave an overview of titles coming to the device along with confirming a release date and retail price, Nintendo has been conducting a number of interviews. While these have largely covered things such as game pricing and the recently-announced Trump tariffs, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has now spoken more about his, and more broadly the company's thoughts, on AI. "If we think about just technology in general to start with, as we look at technology we always want to make sure the technology we may be leveraging - whether it is to develop our games [or] in our devices - it's going to create a better gameplay experience," Bowser said in conversation with CNBC. "It starts there... that's a very important part of our decision making process, and how to use AI." Bowser acknowledged that AI is currently a popular tool not just in terms of game development, but can also be used to "enhance productivity" and more. But, even though the technology may have its uses, Bowser and Nintendo know "it's not the only method of developing games". Said Bowser: "We still believe that what makes our games special is our developers, their artistic capabilities, their insight into how people play. So, there's always, always going to be a human touch, and a human engagement in how we develop and build our games." As Bowser touched on, AI continues to be a hot topic and several video game developers have flirted with the technology. Earlier this year, Microsoft trumpeted the announcement of Muse, a new "generative AI breakthrough" designed to aid "gameplay ideation". Also in February, Take-Two Interactive boss Strauss Zelnick opened up about his views on AI, calling the concept of artificial intelligence "an oxymoron". Also this year, Activision came under fire for its use of generative AI, admitting some in-game content in Call of Duty has been created using the technology. Meanwhile, just in the last week, Microsoft created a demo "inspired" by Quake 2 using its new AI tool, but it's practically unplayable. As for Switch 2, Nintendo will be hosting a Direct focused on Mario Kart World on 17th April, at 2pm UK. For more, our Tom has already been hands-on with Nintendo's upcoming console. You can read his Switch 2 impressions here.

Nintendo isn't ruling out the use of AI in game development, but knows that "what makes our games special is our developers"

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser says the company's games will always have a "human touch" Nintendo isn't ruling out using AI in the development of its games going forward, but Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser is making it clear that "what makes our games special is our developers," and that "human touch" will never disappear. Speaking in an interview with CNBC following last week's flurry of Nintendo Switch 2 news, Bowser is asked how Nintendo is thinking about potentially inserting AI into its games. He makes it clear that he's not trying to "speak on behalf of the developers," but notes that generally speaking, "as we look at technology, we always want to make sure the technology we may be leveraging, whether it's to develop our games or whether it's in our devices, is going to create a better gameplay experience." This, he says, is "a very important part of our decision-making process in how to use AI." He acknowledges that AI is "being used broadly in a number of different ways" around the world like to "enhance productivity," before going on to say that the potential use of it by developers is something that is being discussed within the company. He makes it clear, however, that it wouldn't be integrated to outright replace the actual humans who bring the company's games to life. "If developers choose to use AI, and it is a discussion right now at Nintendo, it's not the only method of developing games," Bowser explains. "We still believe that what makes our games special is our developers, their artistic capabilities, their insight into how people play, so there's always, always going to be a human touch, and a human engagement in how we develop and build our games." Nintendo is always celebrated for its creativity and innovation, so hearing Bowser highlight the devs as the ones making the company's games "special" is reassuring. Generative AI continues to be controversial, to say the least, especially in artistic fields. The way it pulls from human artists' work, potentially without their consent, in order to produce imitations doesn't sit right with many for multiple reasons, including the worry that it serves as a threat to human creativity. Again, it doesn't sound like Nintendo is dismissing the potential future usage of AI completely, but it's clear that it values the artistic talent and real experiences of its devs, so we'll have to hope that it continues to prioritize that going forward.