Arc Raiders Is My Game Of The Year, But Its Use Of Generative AI Really Sucks

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I’ve had a blast playing Arc Raiders these last couple of months – it’s been the most enjoyable gaming experience of my year. It feels as fresh and exciting as when I first played Sea of Thieves back in 2018, a game I absolutely love. However, it’s hard to keep sharing that enthusiasm now that we’ve learned about Embark Studio’s use of AI.

The developers of Arc Raiders initially recorded voice actors, then used that data to train AI to replicate their voices for any situation in the game. This means they don’t need to bring the actors back every time new content is added – the AI learns to speak like them, with the actors’ permission. This approach isn’t new for the team, as their previous game, The Finals, also uses similar AI technology. While Embark has confirmed all the game’s visual art is created by humans, they admitted the AI voices are used for shopkeepers, emotes, and other minor character dialogue. This has made me feel uncertain about how much I want to praise the game, despite enjoying it.

I’m really enjoying Arc Raiders – it’s captured my attention in a way few games do, with its exciting, unpredictable moments created by players. However, I’ve already written a positive review, and I feel it’s important to also address a concerning trend. Several game companies, including Larian Studios, Nexon, and Ubisoft, are increasingly using AI to create content. Even developers like Hideo Kojima are experimenting with it. This isn’t just seen as a useful tool, but as something that’s rapidly becoming standard practice in the industry, which is a bit disappointing.

It’s debatable whether this technology lives up to the hype. A lot of the positive endorsements come from company leaders and studio executives who have a clear interest in its success, as it promises to save time and money. However, a lot of what generative AI actually produces isn’t very good, to be honest.

It’s become clear that generative AI isn’t a reliable search engine. Instead of finding facts, it essentially predicts the most likely sequence of words based on the huge amount of data it was trained on. This means AI bots, like X’s Grok, often produce inaccurate information, and can even express offensive views – likely reflecting the opinions of its owner.

Generative AI writing tools often heavily borrow from existing sources – books, articles, and other writing – and present it as new content. This can result in low-quality work, often sold inexpensively online, that deceives readers who may not be able to easily identify its lack of originality.

AI-generated images and videos are becoming increasingly realistic, leading some to believe concerns about the technology are overblown. Others view AI as a tool for inspiration – a fast way to brainstorm ideas that human artists then refine and develop. Some industry leaders, like Tim Sweeney of Epic Games, predict AI will become so widespread that attempts to label AI-generated content, such as Steam’s system for games, will become ineffective. Even the environmental impact of AI is being debated, adding to the complex ethical questions. This raises the fundamental question of when, or if, using AI is justified. However, despite all these discussions and arguments, the most important factor remains: our own human values and creativity matter, regardless of how advanced and reliable AI becomes.

Art is a uniquely human ability, and one of the most valuable contributions we can make. It’s hard to justify using AI to replace human creativity, and the recent game Arc Raiders exemplifies this problem. Despite being a strong contender for game of the year, it’s marred by its use of AI-generated voices. The voice actors deserved the opportunity to use their talent, and using AI not only harms them individually but also sets a damaging precedent for the industry. While AI voice technology improves with training, that doesn’t make its use ethical. Arc Raiders’ AI voices may get better over time, but they’ll always be an imitation of genuine human performance, and that diminishes the art of voice acting, which relies on real emotion and skill.

Many people excited about AI don’t realize that the process of creation is just as important as the final product. That process is what gives something meaning and a unique point of view. Because generative AI creates things from instructions, not personal vision, it’s hard to call it true art. It’s a difficult idea to explain, especially to those just curious about the technology. People asking AI to create memes, write letters, or answer questions might not consider the impact on human creativity and expression. It’s hard to explain why human input matters, and how relying on AI diminishes that, so you have to appeal to their feelings rather than logic.

Beyond the ethical concerns, there’s a very real practical problem with rapidly adopting generative AI. The more we use it, the more it learns to perform jobs currently done by people – not just in creative fields, but across all industries. While tech leaders debate how to regulate this technology, we’re quickly heading toward a future where a small number of people control most of the wealth, and workers are systematically replaced. This will inevitably lead to significant economic disruption, and continuing to develop and use AI without considering these consequences means actively building that troubling future. This isn’t just about specific games or even the entertainment industry; it’s a problem that will affect everyone, and it’s a difficult reality to ignore.

Arc Raiders shows that using AI to create games doesn’t automatically make them worse, but it hasn’t noticeably improved this game either. While AI might speed up the development process, the final look of Arc Raiders doesn’t feel enhanced by it, making you wonder if it’s truly beneficial. Increasingly, game studios seem to be using AI because they worry about falling behind, even though it can sometimes actually hinder progress, as more developers are starting to admit.

I’ll be thinking a lot about this in my work going forward, especially since I interview many developers at TopMob. I plan to ask them about how they’re using this new technology. I believe we’re at a critical moment. We can either accept this technology as the natural next step and see it become commonplace in games, movies, books, and other art, or we need to start asking serious questions. We need to understand why companies are using it, what problems it actually solves, and what new issues it creates. Most importantly, we need to consider who benefits from this technology and who might be negatively affected. The reaction to the game Arc Raiders at the end of 2025 really highlighted these concerns, and it’s made me reconsider my own Game of the Year choice. Since executives seem willing to prioritize profits over creative vision, it’s crucial that we demand clear explanations for their decisions.

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2025-12-22 21:10