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AI in gamedev is about as hot as hot topics get—the tech is polarizing for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is its environmental impact. The data centers AI relies on come with grave heat and water use concerns at a time when our species' ecological footprint is already leaning toward the catastrophic. Developers like Saber Interactive are still experimenting with the technology to make videogames, though CCO Tim Willits acknowledged the concerns to PC Gamer's Joshua Wolens at Gamescom 2026.
"Personally, you know, whenever I look something up that maybe my wife asked for, I'm like, 'oh man, I'm destroying the environment to answer this question,'" Willits said. "So yes, that is a real issue. I mean, as a society. Globally. Look at the disasters happening even this week. So yes, mankind, we need to figure that out."
As for how mankind might do that, Willits cited a suggestion from right-wing billionaire, Tesla CEO and Path of Exile 2 n00b Elon Musk: "Elon wants to put servers in space. That could be the answer, right? I mean, it's funny, but why not? Starlink is fast. I don't care if I have to wait a couple of extra seconds to get my silly AI picture. But it is a problem, I think."
Recently, Saber has caught flak for its use of AI in the upcoming Rideshare Stimulator—one former writer for the studio alleged she was replaced with ChatGPT during development. While Saber denied that specific claim, it stood by its decision to use AI for dialog (which was, at that point, undisclosed on the game's Steam page), saying "we are firm believers in using AI tools to improve or enhance gameplay experiences."
AI isn't the only hot topic Willits is tuned in to. He also spoke with us about the 'silo problem' facing huge triple-A studios, as well as that recent Rideshare Stimulator controversy—and despite it all, he believes it's a "great time" to be in the games industry.
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