Krafton's new chief AI officer says the company 'uses AI as a tool to amplify human imagination and creativity, not replace it' 3 months after it announced a hiring freeze and launched a voluntary resignation programme
Krafton loves AI. Indeed, the publisher loves it so much that it followed a record-breaking quarter in November by starting a hiring freeze and a voluntary resignation programme so it could restructure itself around AI. Instead of investing in people, it's investing $88 million in a technology that has yet to remotely prove itself in videogame development.
But wait! AI is really here to help humans, not kill their careers. Please ignore what's staring you right in the face and instead trust Krafton's new chief AI officer, Kangwook Lee. He's been the head of Krafton AI since 2022, and in this new executive role he will oversee AI R&D and "mid-to-long-term innovation strategy".
And he wants you to know that AI is your friend.
"Krafton uses AI as a tool to amplify human imagination and creativity, not replace it,” he said. “Rooted in our core gaming business, Krafton will continue to explore future possibilities backed by AI innovation and data for long-term growth and player value."
How does Krafton use AI to amplify human imagination and creativity, you might be wondering? Unfortunately, Lee doesn't offer any examples, but that's OK, we can just look at what he's been doing since he started working with Krafton on its AI ambitions.
Last year, for instance, he worked with Nvidia to introduce "co-playable characters"—a stupid name for gen AI NPCs—in Krafton games, most notably Inzoi. Nvidia's been experimenting with this tech for a while now, and the results are poor. Interesting, perhaps, but a big step down from curated, human-created NPCs.
If you're wondering how shallow, uncanny NPCs amplify human imagination and creativity, I'm right there with you. Because surely it doesn't. Like, at all.
The most notable impact of AI at Krafton, so far, is the cost on the human side of its business. It's getting rid of current employees and not bringing in new ones. This is, like so many AI endeavours, bad for people—with the exception of AI specialists and the eager suits who fund them.
Then there's the AI robots Krafton is researching. Physical AI and robotics will fall under Ludo Robotics, which is still being established, and the Korean subsidiary will be led by Lee. I'm sure that'll be good for humans.
From Krafton's announcement, there's only really one place where AI research and implementation might actually make life better for Krafton employees, and that's the pillar of "enhancing operational efficiency". This is all about streamlining workflows and reducing repetitive tasks. This can be helpful, to an extent, at least until things like creating bespoke concept art end up filed under "repetitive tasks".
Anyway, expect to see more AI slop and creepy NPCs who sound like robots attempting to infiltrate human society in your Krafton-published games. Yay.
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