In case you haven’t noticed, AI is a pretty big topic at the moment. More and more companies are embracing it, it’s getting increasingly difficult to discern reality from fiction, and those hoping for the proverbial ‘bubble’ to pop could be waiting for a long time.
During Nintendo’s most recent shareholder Q&A session, president Shuntaro Furukawa once again addressed concerns around potential IP infringement from the use of generative AI. Furukawa-san’s response was expectedly balanced in which he seemed to acknowledge the ability for generative AI to bolster creative endeavours, but also stressed the issues around IP infringement and power consumption.
Here’s what he had to say:
“We are aware that with the rapid evolution of AI technology, countries and regions are moving forward with the establishment of laws and regulations related to AI. Nintendo will comply with these laws and regulations, and we intend to appropriately protect our intellectual property in accordance with the law.
“In the game industry, technologies similar to AI have long been used, for example for the movement of opposing characters, so game development and AI technology have always had areas of close connection. These days, generative AI can be used for even more creative purposes, but we recognize that it also presents issues in areas such as intellectual property rights and power consumption.
“Regardless of whether generative AI is used, if Nintendo determines that something infringes on Nintendo IP, our policy is to respond appropriately, and we have no plans to change this policy. Nintendo IP did not originate as standalone characters. It was created and nurtured in connection with the unique forms of play that Nintendo has developed. We will maintain our strengths by continuing to create unique forms of play.”
So there you go, Nintendo will continue to crack down on anything it deems a threat to its property. We suspect that its lawyers are probably working overtime at the moment given how easy it is to replicate a recognisable figure using generative AI.
We find it curious that Furukawa-san has also refrained from confirming whether or not Nintendo is actually utilising AI in its operations, but his comment on game development and AI maintaining a longterm close connection suggests that they’re at least open to the idea of implementing the technology in some way.
As ever, we’ll keep a close eye on any developments and let you know of any changes or updates.