Embark Studios defends and explains its use of AI in Arc Raiders ahead of launch

Embark Studios has clarified how AI was used in the development of its upcoming extraction shooter Arc Raiders, which has led to more questions surrounding machine learning and generative AI in gaming.

The details:

• Fans have spotted that the Steam page for Arc Raiders features a warning confirming the possible use of AI in its creation. ”During the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation,” the message reads. “In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.” This sparked debate about the ethics of using AI in game development, with Embark previously using text-to-speech dialogue in its FPS The Finals.
• Speaking to PCGamesN, game design director Virgil Watkins stated that generative AI is not used in any capacity in Arc Raiders, with the warning likely related to its use of the same text-to-speech system found in The Finals. "Arc Raiders in no way uses generative AI whatsoever," Watkins said. "We use something called machine learning, or reinforcement learning, and that's to do with the locomotion for our larger drones with multiple legs, but there's no generative content whatsoever."
• Studio CCO Stefan Strandberg also confirmed that there is no generative AI used in the game during an interview with Eurogamer but explained that Embark has used machine learning during development. "We use AI as tools to assist in some content creation, but it's always in the context of creativity, as an expression of the team," Strandberg said. "Obviously, it depends on how people define AI, which makes it trickier. The locomotion for some of our Arc enemies has been trained with machine learning, which creates these fantastic emergent moments. If you shoot off a leg, it'll try to rebalance. That's AI, if you will."
• It’s also worth noting that while Watkins said no generative AI was used, he did state that the text-to-speech system used in the company’s titles requires a voice actor to record lines. Then, Embark uses those recorded voice lines to generate new ones whenever they’re required for items that have been added throughout development. Unsurprisingly, this has been met with backlash, with players arguing that it is unethical to train the AI system on human voices, even if the actors are made aware prior to recording.