'AI in Game Art - Threat or Opportunity?' with Shrungar Dadarkar

AI is transforming game development at lightening speed. Some call it a revolution, others see it as a threat. So, what does this mean for YOU as a game artist?

To answer this, I am joined by Shrungar Dadarkar, Director of Gen AI at Scopely. With a background in concept art and game art direction, he’s seen both sides: the all-manual work and the AI-driven. In this episode, we explore:

- Why game studios are integrating AI into art production?

- Should game artists embrace AI, or is there a downside?

- How AI is changing skill expectations and hiring in game art

- How artists can future-proof themselves and stay ahead in the AI era?

Connect with Shrungar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrungar/

If you have topic requests for future episodes, or if you would like to be a guest on an upcoming episode, please connect with and write to me on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kshiraj/⁠

Watch this podcast as video on: https://youtu.be/hbF_VCwqNWk

Chapters:

0:00 Intro Sequence

0:08 Opening and introduction

1:49 Introduction: Shrungar Dadarkar

3:28 The Growing Role of Gen AI in Game Development

5:59 Player Perceptions of AI-Generated Art

10:41 Should Artists Embrace Gen AI?

17:18 Artists’ Concerns About AI Adoption

20:31 Roles at Risk

37:58 Recruitment and Evaluation in the Age of Gen AI

45:58 Standing Out in the Era of Gen AI

47:37 Wrap up