Today Electronic Arts hosted its Investors Day, and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson talked about the company’s dedication to generative AI.
During the livestreamed presentation, Wilson mentioned that EA’s games have been at the forefront of the technology curve and AI in its different forms has always been central to the company’s creative journey.
He then explained that the tech is a focal point for Electronic Arts.
“We all remember playing against the AI, and it has evolved in today’s innovations in generative AI. This remarkable technology is not merely a buzzword for us. It’s the very core of our business.
Beyond writing or coding AI to ensure the believability of our characters, we have always used forms of machine learning and AI across our games and processes.”
Wilson added that right now EA has “over 100 active novel AI projects” across 3 strategic categories, efficiency, expansion, and transformation.
Efficiency doesn’t just means cost savings, but it involves doing what EA does today faster, cheaper, and at a higher quality, including more iteration and more testing.
Wilson reiterated that EA Sports College Football 25 would have not been possible without AI. That’s how 150 unique stadiums and 11,000 players are in the game.
Expansion, according to Wilson, means giving developer an “exponentially bigger canvas upon which they can create and richer colors to paint more brilliant worlds.” On top of that, the tech would enable EA’s teams to create characters with “more depth and intelligence, telling stories that are more personal and nuanced.”
“For years we have talked about games delivering experiences that are always new and different. We believe that with generative AI we’ll truly be able to fulfill this promise for billions of people, for billions and billions of hours.”
Transformation involves looking further into the future and finding new ways to play, watch, create, and connect that aren’t imagined today. EA believes that AI will “greatly expand and transform the entertainment experience for user-generated content.”
“It’ll accelerate how innovators and creators are building entertainment experiences leading to self-expression, content creation, curation, and instant gratification. The kind of entertainment that today’s players and fans deeply crave.”
During the same event, Electronic Arts also shared some hints about the future of the Battlefield franchise.