AI and human touch

The Role of AI in Game Design: How to Create Art With AI

Malena Rose Features, student story

Volume 27, Issue 5

I know that I’m going to trigger so many people with this headline. But before you start making posters of me, hear me out and read this article to the very end. I’m sure, you’ll agree more with me than you think.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in almost every industry, and game design is no exception. From NPC behavior to world-building, AI is revolutionizing how games are made and played. But it’s not all about machines doing everything—human creativity is still very much at the heart of great game design, as I learned when I interviewed Maria Hamilton, a Senior Game Designer at Blizzard Entertainment, during Gamescom this year. We talked about how AI is used in World of Warcraft and the fine balance between automation and the essential human touch.

Smarter Development, Faster Results

One of the biggest impacts AI has had in recent years is on the development process itself. Instead of spending countless hours on repetitive tasks, developers now have AI tools to help speed things up. As Maria Hamilton explained during our interview, Blizzard uses AI to handle some of the tedious work, like making sure helmets fit different character races. World of Warcraft has a wide variety of races, each with different head sizes and shapes, so this could be a real headache for artists if done manually.

“We use a machine learning tool that goes ahead and does an initial pass at that,” Hamilton said. “Then an artist just needs to verify and make tiny tweaks.”

This saves tons of time, allowing Blizzard’s artists to focus on more creative work like designing new characters and environments rather than adjusting helmets over and over again.

But as Hamilton pointed out, AI isn’t replacing artists—it’s just making their lives easier.

“We’re always doing things that are sort of time-saving, machine-learning kinds of activities for non-creative tasks.”

AI takes care of the repetitive, non-creative work, while the human artists focus on the big-picture stuff: the design, the storytelling, and the details that make players feel immersed in a world.

The Human Touch Still Rules

What really stood out in my interview with Hamilton was how clear she was about one thing: AI is a tool, not a replacement for creativity. While AI can streamline processes, it can’t come up with the kind of creative, emotional storytelling that makes World of Warcraft so engaging. “AI is excellent for handling repetitive tasks,” Hamilton said, “but it cannot replace the unique insights and artistic vision that human designers bring to the table.”

I completely agree with this. As an artist, it can be hard to accept just how advanced AI has become—sometimes, it’s nearly impossible to tell if a piece was created by a human or a machine. But that shouldn’t discourage us from being creative or doing what we love.

Creating art is about exploring and expressing your emotions, ideas, and the experience you want to evoke in others. AI can’t replace that deep, personal connection. It can’t generate something truly meaningful from nothing. As artists and game designers, we still need to guide it, shaping every decision it makes. AI might handle the tedious tasks, but it’s up to us to create the vision, the emotion, and the meaning behind the work. Now, with AI taking care of the repetitive processes, we can focus on what really matters: crafting something that resonates and leaves a lasting impact.

Malena Rose
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