PUBG Publisher Introduces AI Director Role – This Will Impact Games

South Korean publisher Krafton, responsible for PUBG: Battlegrounds, Project Windless, and a number of other games, has appointed Hyungsoo Lee to the new position of Director of Artificial Intelligence.

His responsibilities will include "leading research and development in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as the company's medium- and long-term innovation strategy." Among the areas Lee will oversee is the improvement of gameplay.

Krafton representatives are confident that the implementation of AI will be beneficial for gamers.

"Krafton will continue to create a common foundation by improving the fundamental AI technologies that directly impact game immersion and player experience," the company noted.

Recall that in October of last year, Krafton announced a shift to the "AI-first" concept. According to this idea, neural networks should free employees from performing a range of tasks and allow them to focus on "creativity." The publisher's representatives believe this will be beneficial in the long term.

For employees who do not agree with this approach, Krafton opened a voluntary resignation program. Officially, it was called not layoffs, but a support measure.

However, not all companies collaborating with Krafton agreed with the publisher's change in direction. The developers of the RPG Last Epoch refused to implement neural networks across the board and stated they would continue to rely on manual labor.

Krafton's policy has also affected its financial condition. The market reacted with a sharp drop in its stock price, but so far the South Korean corporation does not intend to abandon its plans.