Generative AI's role in video game development is a thorny issue right now, and we expect it'll stay that way for a good while yet.
Whether you like it or not, we presume developers and publishers at all scales are at least experimenting with the technology to see if it brings any value to their production pipelines.
That's more or less where Capcom has landed on the matter, anyway.
In a recent Q&A with investors, the publisher was asked about how it plans to make use of generative AI in development.
The (translated) answer is as follows:
"Our company will not implement the materials generated by [generative] AI into game content. However, we plan to actively utilize this technology to improve efficiency and productivity in the game development process. Therefore, we are currently exploring ways to use it in various areas, such as graphics, sound, and programming."
In other words, Capcom won't be putting AI-generated art or other assets into its finalised games. Rather, it's looking into ways to use generative AI to make development itself more efficient across various departments.
So, the publisher may indeed use the tech in its processes to streamline things, but don't expect to see AI-generated nonsense in its games.
It's interesting to see this following the highly controversial debut of Nvidia's DLSS 5, which heavily featured Resident Evil Requiem as an example.
Main characters Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy were the focal points of two examples of how the upcoming AI upscaler will not just boost a game's resolution but significantly alter its look.
It's proven to be very irksome among fans and professionals alike.
Capcom's comments that it won't implement generative AI into "game content" may not account for external features such as DLSS 5. So, you'll probably be able to put an AI gloss on the publisher's games anyway, if you really wanted to, and assuming Capcom continues supporting it going forward.