Several years have passed since generative AI was launched, yet concerns over job losses remain entirely unresolved. The severity of the situation is evident from the recent increase in strikes demanding employment stability in Pangyo, where IT companies are concentrated, following the implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Act, which recently strengthened workers' bargaining rights. This trend is not limited to Korea; similar situations are occurring worldwide.
Among IT industries, the gaming sector faces the greatest concern. Traditionally, the gaming industry has been notorious for its murderous workload. The so-called "crunch mode," characterized by overtime work leading up to a new game release, has been a chronic issue from the past to the present. It earned the nickname "lighthouse" because the lights never went out, and there have even been cases where exhaustion led to tragic accidents.
The arrival of AI in this gaming industry was like a ray of light. In fact, it did not appear suddenly. Most major game companies have long been researching technologies to reduce labor and costs. Industry insiders say that utilizing AI can certainly reduce the workload. While creativity and emotional aspects remain in the human domain, simple repetitive tasks no longer need to be performed.
Netmarble, once called the "lighthouse of the underworld" due to its high labor intensity, has recently upgraded its AI organization into a strategy office. For Netmarble, which plans to release eight new titles this year, AI utilization is directly linked to productivity. Having started AI research in 2014, Netmarble is introducing AI not only in game development and operations but across the entire work environment. Recently, it was reported that the company instructed all departments to study ways to utilize AI efficiently at the corporate level.
The concern among gaming industry workers is that as AI utilization increases, their jobs might be taken away. However, when speaking with gaming industry insiders, no company is researching AI to reduce its workforce. The goal is to improve productivity to create better games and gain competitiveness in the global market, not to replace personnel. Patrick Söderlund, Nexon's chairman and a proponent of AI, has only redeployed staff since taking office, without laying anyone off.
Fear of the changes AI will bring is a natural phenomenon. However, just as there are tasks that must be done by humans, it is now time to move beyond fear and consider how to leverage AI to perform those tasks even better.
in OPINION
