Nintendo’s stance on AI made clear by Miyamoto

While most of the gaming world has seemingly embraced some amount of AI usage in its processes, Nintendo is taking a different approach to the new technology according to legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto.

Miyamoto is the man behind many of Nintendo’s most iconic hits like Super Mario and Donkey Kong. The developer is working to expand the Japanese company’s brand beyond just video games. His official title is now Executive Fellow, as he is heavily involved with its movie deals.

The Nintendo veteran laid out the company’s philosophy for new AI technology in gaming while promoting the Nintendo Museum, saying it doesn’t plan to use it. Miyamoto explained that the company is special because it goes in the “opposite direction” of most of its gaming industry contemporaries.

The company does have a history of bucking conventional trends, most noticeably by not looking to create hyper-realistic graphics and sticking to its nostalgic, tried and tested titles.

“There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction,” Miyamoto told The New York Times.

The company’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, discussed the technology in July 2024, saying generative AI could “raise issues with intellectual property rights.”

“While we are open to utilizing technological developments, we will work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo and cannot be created by technology alone,” Furukawa said.

He did, however, say that AI-like technology has been used for a long time for other things like piloting enemy NPCs.

The Japanese company’s position is in stark contrast to developers like Ninja Theory and Ubisoft, who are already adopting AI for NPC dialogue in their titles. Generative AI has been a hot topic in the industry particularly as SAG-AFTRA is currently striking after the union and video game companies failed to come to an agreement regarding AI protection.

On September 24, 2024, SAG-AFTRA announced it would target Riot Games’ League of Legends after production company Formosa allegedly engaged in union-busting practices to work around the strike.