Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams is as tired of genAI in the industry as anyone else, and is pretty set on never using it
Another day of news, another day in which I find something genAI - related to write about while sighing. But, lo and behold, for once, it isn't a case of a company shifting gears to prioritise AI usage over paying workers, or a studio tucking its tail between its legs admitting 'yes, we used it, but we hoped you wouldn't notice', but instead a developer loudly and happily rejecting it. Rejoice!…
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams expressed his disdain for generative AI (genAI) in the gaming industry. Adams noted that employees are increasingly concerned about being replaced by AI, and that genAI is being promoted as a cost-saving measure, but it does not actually improve productivity. He also pointed out that generated code often lacks optimization, leading to poor performance in games that incorporate it.
Adams believes that using genAI would not boost his productivity and that the performance issues caused by generated code would be unacceptable. He acknowledged that if Microsoft forced developers to use genAI to get their games recognized on their platform, it could force Adams to abandon Windows as a distribution platform. Despite these concerns, Adams remains committed to developing Dwarf Fortress and shared plans for new features, including boat transport and player-created in-game computers powered by trapped vampires.
Written by urgent.news from Rock Paper Shotgun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
