Witcher 4 Dev Claims AI Isn’t A ‘Game Developer,’ Just A Useful and Beneficial ‘Tool’
We’ve seen backlash against AI in creative industries, including art and voice acting. So when CD Projekt Red, the studio behind Witcher 4, discusses positive uses of AI, it’s natural for fans to worry. However, it’s important to consider their actual message: CD Projekt Red argues that AI, if used responsibly in productivity tasks and not creative ones, may not threaten the aspects fans value most.
CD Projekt Red’s Witcher 4 Productivity Pitch
During a recent earnings briefing, joint CEO Michał Nowakowski addressed AI’s role in development. In an article by Gamesrader, he clarified that CD Projekt Red is focused on using AI for ‘productivity areas’—tasks that are time-consuming but not creatively vital. According to them, AI is not being used for the core creative work, like Geralt’s voice or character design. This is central to their reassurance: AI, properly handled, supports development without replacing creative talent.
“The benefits are real, they’re meaningful,” Nowakowski explained. But he was quick to pump the brakes on the idea of a robot auteur. He made sure to double down on his take: “It doesn’t mean it’s not gonna be useful, but it’s not gonna be making The Witcher 5, or 6, or anything like that.”
The Witcher 4 Joins the Industry-Wide AI Debate
CD Projekt Red is walking a tightrope here, and they’re not the only ones. Just recently, Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) found themselves in hot water when Larian CEO Swen Vincke had to play damage control after admitting they used generative AI tools. Warhorse Studios (Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2) and Bethesda have both admitted to integrating AI into their workflows with a similar narrative: “It helps us work faster!”
From the players and creative industry artists’ perspective, it feels like a slippery slope because the fear stems from the shucking of ethics and the utilization of AI. As famed programmer Casey Muratori pointed out, when studios pay Google or OpenAI to generate ideas, the artists whose work was scraped to train those models get exactly zero dollars. It’s hard to cheer for “productivity” when it feels like theft with extra steps.
Will AI Cause More Layoffs?
We are living through a brutal era of layoffs in gaming. Is AI to blame for the firings? Nowakowski says no. When asked if AI could be used to “reduce headcount,” the CDPR boss shot it down. He argued that the recent wave of redundancies in the gaming world stems from project cancellations and studio turmoil, not because Skynet took everyone’s desk. “Literally kill me here, but I don’t recall a single time when [layoffs] would be attributable directly to AI,” he stated on Gamesradar.
While that might be true technically right now, it’s hard not to be skeptical. If a tool makes you 50% more efficient, do you keep the same number of staff, or do you fire half of them and pocket the savings? History suggests the latter, which is why comments like this are met with a healthy dose of side-eye. From an outsider’s perspective, that looks like the way it is currently heading; however, from the CDPR’s point of view, it’s more of a “clean-up tool” to take out the time-consuming delays.
The Witcher 4 is Still “Human”
So, what does this actually mean for The Witcher 4? If CDPR is using AI to bug-test code, organize massive databases of lore, or generate placeholder textures that will eventually be painted over by human hands, the Witcher 4 will very likely be fine. We all want the game to run smoothly and release on time (we all remember the Cyberpunk 2077 launch, right?).
Witcher fans are mostly worried about using AI when the soul of the series has always been its writing, art, and deep human storytelling. Those are things a predictive text algorithm simply cannot replicate, and what Nowakowski understands and is likely trying to communicate, especially with the Witcher 4. As long as CD Projekt Red remembers that AI is a “tool” for the boring stuff and keeps the creative reins in human hands, we might be okay.
Final Thoughts: It’s Not The AI, But How People Use It!
Generative AI is a very powerful system we have created, and many creators, great and small, have had many worries about it flushing their careers down the drain. Hear this! AI shouldn’t be the one to fear, but the people who wield the tool. Yes, y’all have the right to worry, and that’s why it’s key to ask about it when working a freelance or art job if AI will be used, and most of all, HOW it will be used. When it all comes down to it, the AI debacle is a HUMAN situation to solve.
