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The scuffle over Rayark’s layoffs (real or presumed) that he would prefer AI to artists

The scuffle over Rayark's layoffs (real or presumed) that he would prefer AI to artists

Q&A on social media between Rayark, a Taiwanese software house, and some users who accuse it of having killed entire creative departments to replace them with artificial intelligence

That artificial intelligence could make millions of people lose their jobs is more than just a danger. At least in the gaming sector, with most software houses in crisis and forced to make sharp cuts to rebalance their budgets , it is a reality. Especially in those countries, first and foremost China , where the rights of workers, in spite of the prevailing socialist doctrine, are not held in the utmost consideration.

THE SITUATION IN CHINA IS DRAMATIC

According to the Rest of World report, the search for professional video game illustrators in the Asian country has decreased by 70% due to artificial intelligence. Since workers' rights do not enjoy particular protection in China, development companies have begun to adopt AI en masse, tireless, without salary, with inexhaustible creativity and, above all, very fast.

BUT THERE ARE THOSE WHO APOLOGIZE

A few weeks ago, the Multiplayer vertical headline recalls, the developer of Alchemy Stars was forced to apologize after it was discovered that the game posters had been partially made by artificial intelligence. To dispel any doubts, the label has undertaken to have the next artworks drawn in public sessions to demonstrate that the AI ​​​​will no longer be involved.

FIRST CASES OUTSIDE CHINESE BORDERS?

In the last few hours a similar case seems to have arisen, even if more than the excuses the denials have arrived, although they are not very solid. But let's start from the beginning. Rayark Inc., an independent video game company founded in 2011 with headquarters in Taipei and a branch also located in Japan is making headlines because it would have reset its artistic team, deciding to replace it with artificial intelligence. If so, it would be the first team outside the Chinese borders to have taken such a strong decision, proceeding with a collective dismissal.
A Korean account supports it, quite followed and punctually taken up by the international media of the sector precisely because it punctually reports the events of the videogame market in South East Asia. And he would not be the only one: other users have also posted a good number of images relating to the software house responsible for titles such as Deemo and Voez in which there are allegedly various flaws that would highlight that there is a hand of AI.
Rayark

THE REPLICA OF THE RAYARK TEAM

The inconsistencies would be numerous and would leave one doubting whether they were made by flesh-and-blood creatives. A few hours ago, however, Rayark herself, prompted by the controversy caused by those tweets, wanted to intervene to affirm that the news about the fact that the Taipei software house is "using AI technologies in its artistic works and firing the artists" is completely false.

Rayark defends himself by saying that he is actually experimenting with AI and related tools but only in order to understand the impact that AI Generated Content (AIGC) will have on the industry. The company would not fire any artists but, instead, would hire new staff to improve the development process and train in the use of AI as an assistant.

The answer however, instead of closing the controversies, rebuffs them, with several users pointing out that the software house has never written anywhere that "artists will never be replaced with AI", but only that "during this period [of learning], to establish more efficient processes and achieve technological innovations, we have not fired any artists”. In short, the risk, which however is becoming apparent in many similar realities, is that when humans have finished teaching the AI ​​the jobs to be done, they will be left at home. And who can say that the letter with which the company defends itself was not itself written by ChatGpt?


This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/la-baruffa-sui-licenziamenti-veri-o-presunti-di-rayark-che-agli-artisti-preferirebbe-lia/ on Tue, 30 May 2023 05:37:45 +0000.