Artists Hate These AI-made Game Character Redesigns

Corridor Crew uses AI face-morphing with an AI image generator to "fix" video game Human beings.

YouTube channel, Corridor Crew, a part of studio Corridor Digital, has riled the artist community and game fans alike. The popular CG tech enthusiasts are no strangers to controversy but its latest video, where they use AI to 'fix the faces in video games', has really got fans angry.

The same team that used DALL-E2 AI to create the Rock, Paper, Scissors anime that everyone hated, is now back as its YouTube team, Corridor Crew, has taken aim at the video games industry. This time they've 'fixed' the faces that designers have created in games such as Metal Gear Solid (Big Boss), Uncharted (Nathan Drake), and Horizon: Forbidden West (Aloy). And it's created quite the backlash.

Watch Corridor Crew's video 'We Try Putting Photoreal Faces in Video Games' for yourself, and get ready to be annoyed. In it they use AI to take beautifully crafted and loved characters and turn them into uncanny and emotionless mannequins.

What doesn't seem to have registered with the creators of this AI driven experiment is that the characters they've messed around with were created by artists with a specific vision in mind.

There will always be technical limitations when creating video game characters but photo-realistic representation is rarely the goal. The aesthetic and vibe in the aforementioned games is what brings them alive, drawing players into the story. AI created photo-realistic faces only contribute to diminishing the hard work and creativity of the artists, effectively telling them they've done a terrible job. What a kick in the teeth.

One of Corridor Digital's co-founder's, Nike Pueringer, claims that using AI face-morphing with an AI image generator, Stable Diffusion XL, could "revolutionize how [video game] characters are rendered". If that's the revolution being proposed, then no thanks. This comes after concept artist Dofresh discovered studios are using AI to replace artists. Will we have to suffer bad AI-generated art and design before everyone realises this is a terrible idea?

Fans and artists on Twitter revealed their dislike of using AI to rework classic character designs. Liz Edwards, a senior character artist on Apex Legends, wrote of the changes to Solid Snake, "great example of how well strong art direction and intentional design, modelling & texturing decisions hold up over time [in contrast to AI's] thoughtless addition of detail for the sake of detail gives us cheap halloween costume Snake".

Likewise, ZBrush artist George Crudo wrote in response to the AI's redesign of LA Noir's Cole Phelps: "It felt like a fever dream tbh in one breath they're laughing at bad lip-syncing an actual artist worked on and then losing their minds over a yassified video filter that completely changes the character and performance entirely."

Way to make friends and influence people. This is just another example of AI turning thoughtful designs created with a purpose and turning them into generic lifeless designs. This isn't the first time video game characters have been reimagined, and in fact sometimes it's for a good reason, such as when Sonic was reworked after fan backlash. But using AI to alter designs without any consideration for how a character fits into a pipeline, budget or gameplay, feels ill-conceived.

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AI Is Not Your Enemy: Why Unfounded Fears Around AI Are Putting Organizations At Risk

IRONSCALES founder & CEO Eyal Benishti is a pioneering security software engineer & executive leader with 15+ years of industry experience.

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In today's fast-paced world, hardly a day goes by without dire headlines warning of impending doom at the hands of AI. These fear-inducing narratives suggest that AI is a Pandora's box, a relentless force that threatens to upend our lives and reshape the world in ways we may not survive.

While it is important to acknowledge legitimate concerns surrounding AI, like safety, privacy and equitable access, it is equally crucial to recognize that extreme AI alarmists are inadvertently doing a disservice to society. They are turning people away from a transformative technology that could vastly benefit both industries and individuals.

Perceived Threats And Persistent Myths

AI has triggered concerns that range from job displacement to autonomous killer robots. While these concerns warrant thoughtful consideration and regulation, they should not overshadow the incredible potential that AI has. To set the record straight, let's examine some of the most common fears.

Job Replacement

The fear of losing jobs to machines has fueled concerns about technology's role in the workforce for centuries. However, this narrative continues to oversimplify the complex interplay between humans and their own innovations.

Like all technologies before it, AI has the awesome potential to augment human capabilities, not replace them. AI can handle repetitive and mundane tasks, allowing humans to focus on creative, strategic and emotionally demanding aspects of their work. This symbiotic relationship can lead to improved productivity, job satisfaction and opportunities for skill development.

Data Privacy

Privacy is a legitimate concern in an era where sensitive data is valuable and ubiquitous. AI's ability to process vast amounts of information and draw insights from it raises concerns about data security and surveillance. However, it's crucial to recognize that responsible AI development prioritizes privacy protection.

Innovations in AI include privacy-preserving techniques—such as de-identification and anonymization—that enable data analysis while safeguarding privacy and sensitive information. For those with the requisite resources, the most effective strategy organizations can employ to minimize the privacy risks and maximize the efficiency gains associated with AI is to bring the development process in-house, creating their own tailored technologies internally.

Lack Of Equity

The digital divide is a persistent issue in our increasingly connected world. Concerns about AI exacerbating disparities in access and opportunities are legitimate. However, addressing these concerns should involve efforts to bridge the gap, not abandon AI.

AI has the potential to democratize access to education, healthcare and essential services. By developing AI solutions with inclusivity in mind, we can create tools that empower communities, bridge the digital divide and promote equitable access.

AI's Immense, Far-Reaching Potential

Despite some of the common fears surrounding AI, let's evaluate the positive impact it can have on industries and individuals.

Healthcare Revolution

The healthcare industry stands to gain immensely from AI. Today's medical professionals are overwhelmed with vast amounts of data, from patient records to medical imaging. AI-powered tools can analyze this data rapidly, aiding in early disease detection, treatment recommendations and drug discovery.

According to a report published on MDPI, "a patient's medical history accounted for 76% of the diagnostic process, whereas a physical exam only accounted for 11%." The report notes that AI "has the potential to streamline the history-taking process by giving suggestions, diagnostic clues and the right follow-up questions depending on the clinician's response."

Transformative Education

The educational landscape is evolving, and AI is at the forefront of this transformation. The University of San Diego notes that personalized learning experiences, adaptive curricula and intelligent tutoring systems are just some of the use cases of AI in education. Students can benefit from tailored educational paths that cater to their unique strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, AI can assist teachers by automating administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on providing quality instruction and mentorship.

Environmental Stewardship

Addressing climate change and environmental degradation is a global imperative. AI offers a range of tools and solutions to mitigate these challenges. A report published by researchers at the University of Oxford noted that "AI techniques have been used to forecast global mean temperature changes, predict climactic and oceanic phenomena such as El Niño, [and] better understand aspects of the weather system." From optimizing energy consumption in smart cities to analyzing satellite data for climate monitoring, AI can help us make informed decisions that prioritize safety, optimize resources and reduce our ecological footprint.

Navigating The AI Revolution

While AI holds immense promise, its responsible development and deployment are critical. As we embrace the AI revolution, several key principles should guide our actions.

• We must prioritize ethics in AI development. This includes transparency, fairness and accountability. Algorithms should be designed to avoid bias, and ethical considerations should be integrated into AI governance frameworks.

• Promoting AI literacy is essential for ensuring that individuals and organizations can harness AI's potential effectively. Investing in education and training programs will empower people to make informed decisions about AI adoption and usage.

• Governments and regulatory bodies play a critical role in shaping the AI landscape. Well-crafted regulations can foster innovation while safeguarding societal interests. Collaboration between industry, academia and government is vital to strike the right balance.

• AI holds revolutionary potential and, like any other technological advancement, can also be weaponized for malicious purposes. The need for human oversight of AI is critical to ensure safety and security for all.

Embracing The AI Future

AI has the power to be a transformative force for good, capable of solving some of humanity's most pressing challenges. However, critical to advancements in AI is the need for ethical and responsible development as well as human oversight so that it's leveraged as a tool and not a weapon.

As the CEO of a company that leverages AI to enhance cybersecurity, I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact that responsible AI development can have. Together, we can harness the power of AI to innovate, improve lives and create a brighter future for all.

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Why Generative AI Will Help And Not Hinder Human Connection

CEO of IntelePeer. Focused on leading the company's growth and its mission to become a dominant CPaaS provider for enterprises.

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The infusion of AI, particularly generative AI technologies like OpenAI and Google Bard, into the customer service environment will yield many incredible benefits for businesses and consumers, such as faster self-service capabilities, reduced hold times and better customer experience (CX). Nevertheless, people are reasonably concerned about how such technologies will change the way we interact with one another.

Will these changes enhance or degrade human connection? While there are risks, like harmful biases, data privacy and confidentiality concerns—which companies must address carefully—generative AI is a powerful tool that will positively augment human communication capabilities, unlocking new opportunities and overcoming longstanding barriers.

Enhancing Customer Service Communications With AI

AI is already streamlining text-based customer service interactions in the form of auto-correct, predictive text and grammar corrections. Both Gmail and Microsoft Teams, for example, allow users to select one of several generated responses. These auto-completion and auto-response features accelerate interactions, permitting customers to communicate their needs quickly to customer service representatives.

Likewise, AI-powered communications automation gives customers 24/7 access to self-service channels, regardless of the time or day of the year (such as holidays). Giving customers the freedom to decide how and when they interact with a business boosts the CX. Offering around-the-clock assistance will not only increase the volume of customers serviced, but it can also drastically reduce, if not eliminate, hold times, resulting in faster customer resolutions.

Additionally, generative AI tools can analyze and transcribe calls simultaneously in real time, producing a useful summary analysis to help businesses automate the more frequent categories of customer requests that enter the customer service environment. Naturally, enterprises want to understand why customers are communicating with them. Turns out, customers aren't too different than the companies they're contacting.

A recent Metrigy study asked customers if they would find value in receiving a brief AI-generated summary of any interaction with a company delivered via text or email. Most said yes, with 31.5% specifying that they would like to receive a summary for every interaction. As such, deploying automated tools that can retrieve details from customer interactions across all channels—messaging, chat or even emails—will improve systems and experience for both parties.

Overcoming Time And Language Barriers

One of the most precious resources we have is time—nevertheless, time is finite. Once we use it, we can't get it back. Thankfully, generative AI can help individuals maximize their time by eliminating tedious and monotonous tasks like scheduling and confirming appointments, tracking packages, or even confirming one's account balance, which all needlessly consume time. With AI, we all receive time back in our hectic days.

Beyond time restraints, language and cultural barriers can also hinder human interactions. However, generative AI can help bridge the language gap. In fact, some AI systems know over 30 languages and can fine-tune vocabulary and polish phrases or sentences, letting non-native speakers engage competently with local brands and institutions.

These language-bridging capabilities will also be indispensable for global trade, aid workers and students studying abroad. Consider a non-native speaking student who is only conversational in the local language, finding themselves rushed to the hospital. Quickly, this person realizes that they aren't as proficient as they thought—especially when experiencing pain and using medical-related vocabulary. In this scenario, generative AI could create a helpful summary of their predicament, overcoming cultural and language barriers.

Creating More Empathic Virtual Assistants

While the virtual assistants of the past have come a long way, they aren't doing much to strengthen the bond between customers and the business the bot represents. But, by combining generative AI with proprietary customer and third-party data through workflow automation software, these virtual assistants will have the ability to interact with customers much more empathetically.

When properly trained, large language models (LLMs) allow virtual assistants to draw upon millions of human conversations, extracting and leveraging the best instances of human empathy. As a result, the virtual assistant can quickly detect emotions and modify its tone, sentiment and word choice to empathize with the customer and de-escalate tensions if they are frustrated or angry.

Rather than coming across as a cold, unfeeling machine, virtual assistants will be significantly more compassionate toward the customer's plight, boosting CX. Moreover, these AI-powered advancements will make virtual assistants highly dynamic, permitting them to react intelligently to inquiries, no matter how off-topic or random the question might be.

Maximizing ROI On AI

Every day, it is becoming more evident that those businesses that successfully use AI to enhance human connections experience a significant return on investment just months after implementation.

Of course, a successful AI-enabled communication integration isn't as simple as dropping generative AI and expecting immediate transformation of the contact center. Having a qualified AI partner can be the difference maker. Likewise, when deploying AI, it is paramount that businesses understand the potential negative impacts on human communication and implement the proper guardrails and oversight to limit such effects.

With the right planning—with the help of a partner or with the right team members in place—businesses can seamlessly implement generative AI that meets consumers' push for faster and more personalized experiences while effectively addressing possible risks. Specifically, one key element for optimizing outcomes includes leveraging drag-and-drop workflow tools, low- and no-code applications and intuitive templates. With initiatives like this, enterprises can see rapid time to value with a tech stack that can scale with their business as they continue to ride the AI wave.

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