Japanese game studio forces applicants to draw in front of them to avoid AI

A Japanese game development studio is now forcing applicants to draw in front of them during interviews, all to avoid the use of generative AI.

From writing student essays to bringing back our deceased loved ones, Artificial Intelligence is only growing more prominent with each passing day. Yet its widespread utilization isn’t all good – There’s a reason Titanic director James Cameron calls it “horrifying.”

For some, like those creating video games, AI is a contentious subject. While the likes of Activision now readily employ generative tools to create in-game assets, much to the dismay of the community, not all are on board.

One undisclosed “mid-sized game company” in Japan falls in the latter camp. After making a few hire,s only to discover their new artists were relying on AI, a new measure has been put in place. The studio is now forcing hopeful applicants to draw right in front of them during the interview stage.

Japanese game studio looking to weed out generative AI

A Chief Graphic Designer at this undisclosed game studio spoke anonymously with Japanese media outlet Daily Shincho, as first spotted by Automaton Media. It’s here where we learned of the company’s new hiring protocol.

To prevent any further complications caused by the use of generative AI, the studio now has prospective artists directly prove their skills. This is done by having them draw something in-person during the interview.

“It’s a lot of work for us as recruiters,” the Chief Graphic Designer admitted, “and it feels like we’ve gone back in time, but it seems that there are several other companies doing the same thing.”

Some in the company are allegedly pushing back on the idea, arguing that they should instead be hiring AI experts. As such, the anonymous dev is fearful that their leverage in the studio is waning.

While clarifying they themselves use generative AI as a “supplementary tool,” they contend “that it is human creators who can create compelling characters and graphics from scratch. That’s why I’ve been telling my superiors that we should hire talented people.”