WotC Hasbro CEO optimistic about AI in D&D and MTG’s future

[Charlaquin]

If we always rejected new technologies as evil we'd still be living in caves.

Not really. This is maybe the second time a new technology has presented this immediate and existential a threat to humanity, the other being the nuclear bomb.

AI is not inherently good or evil. Some aspects will be beneficial others will not.

You could say the same about nuclear weapons. The world would still be better off without them.

I don't know what the future brings. I do know that companies cannot ignore this kind of change.

Indeed, which is why I am deeply invested in sending the message to companies that this technology is volatile and dangerous, and should not be used without extreme caution.

 

[Mistwell]

Not really. This is maybe the second time a new technology has presented this immediate and existential a threat to humanity, the other being the nuclear bomb.

That argument was made about both computers and the internet.

You could say the same about nuclear weapons. The world would still be better off without them.

That is a hotly contested topic in history and political science circles. We've had no nuclear war since their invention, aside from the two initial uses. We've had many low intensity conflicts since then, but nothing like the widescale destruction of the two world wars since their invention. Mutually assured destruction as a deterrent to major war is certainly a controversial topic, but it's hard to argue its had zero impact on the quantity or scale of wars. The cold war very likely would have been a mass hot war of incredible destruction but-for the detente caused by the existence of nuclear weapons.

 

[Oofta]

Not really. This is maybe the second time a new technology has presented this immediate and existential a threat to humanity, the other being the nuclear bomb.

You could say the same about nuclear weapons. The world would still be better off without them.

Indeed, which is why I am deeply invested in sending the message to companies that this technology is volatile and dangerous, and should not be used without extreme caution.

I rather doubt that a company like WOTC using AI as part of their games rises to the level of extinguishing life as we know it. There are a lot of things I worry about as a threat both short term and long. An AI DM assistant is not on that list.

 

[ECMO3]

Not a great sign of things to come.

At least we know one avenue they’ll try to use to increase revenues.

Hasbro CEO optimistic about AI in DnD and MTG’s future

Future Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering content could come from Artificial Intelligence, if the bets of Hasbro’s CEO are right.

www.wargamer.com

Original interview:

How Hasbro’s Chris Cocks is steering the toy company into games | The DeanBeat

Chris Cocks is the gamer who took over a big toy company. He was named the CEO of Hasbro in 2022, even though he isn't a Hasbro lifer.

venturebeat.com

Wonder if they let the WOTC staff know this given their stated position of not using AI art.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Wonder if they let the WOTC staff know this given their stated position of not using AI art.

This isn't about AI art.

 

[ECMO3]

Not really. This is maybe the second time a new technology has presented this immediate and existential a threat to humanity, the other being the nuclear bomb.

AI is not an existential threat to humanity and the propaganda surrounding computers 30-40 years ago was worse (i.e. the Terminator movie).

I also believe, and evidence largely supports the idea that AI is a huge benefit to humanity.

 

[ECMO3]

I mean, controlling it by laws would be great. I’d also prefer for companies to continue be wary of the social consequences of using AI.

What social consequences?

Do you mean things like starving people being able to eat or reducing carbon dioxide emissions by optimizing logistics and supply chains or are you refering to being able to diagnose life threatening diseases quicker?

 

[ECMO3]

This isn't about AI art.

Art is the only D&D use of AI they actually mention specifically in the article (pointing out like I did that the WOTC staff did not embrace it).

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Art is the only D&D use of AI they actually mention specifically in the article (pointing out like I did that the WOTC staff did not embrace it).

The article mentions it, but Cocks talks about AI in D&D this way

We can leverage all of that to be able to build very interesting and compelling use cases for AI that can bring our characters to life. We can build tools that aid in content creation for users or create really interesting gamified scenarios around them.

 

[Charlaquin]

That argument was made about both computers and the internet.

And arguments continue to be made that their effects were net negative. As has been pointed out already though, the immediacy is the difference-maker here. If AI was going to take decades to make such a big impact, this conversation would look different.

That is a hotly contested topic in history and political science circles. We've had no nuclear war since their invention, aside from the two initial uses. We've had many low intensity conflicts since then, but nothing like the widescale destruction of the two world wars since their invention. Mutually assured destruction as a deterrent to major war is certainly a controversial topic, but it's hard to argue its had zero impact on the quantity or scale of wars. The cold war very likely would have been a mass hot war of incredible destruction but-for the detente caused by the existence of nuclear weapons.

And AI is a hotly contested subject as well, making it a pretty apt analogy. I have no illusions that my views are universally held. I still hold them strongly, and will continue to engage strongly in advocacy in accordance with them.