Paolo Pedercini, the developer behind the ecosocialist satire game Future? No Thanks!, has removed AI-generated voice lines from his title after facing significant backlash. This decision comes despite Pedercini previously characterizing generative AI as an "anti-human and anti-art project."
The controversy emerged after Pedercini disclosed his use of generative AI, including text-to-speech voice lines and AI-assisted code, in a blog post. He initially defended this by noting the game's satirical intent and the evolving nature of AI tools, which he uses in his capacity as a game design teacher. He also pointed out that Steam's AI disclosure rules do not mandate the reporting of AI used for coding assistance, suggesting many developers may be using it without disclosure.
However, the response to his disclosure was largely unsupportive, prompting Pedercini to publish another blog post announcing the removal of the AI voice lines. These have been replaced with lines recorded by human actors. Pedercini expressed that he felt the game was only "0.001% worse" without the AI voices but adopted a more dramatic tone in his personal reflections, stating, "I drank from the chalice of blood. Nothing will ever redeem me and my cursed little game."
Pedercini drew parallels between the current backlash and the GamerGate controversy, claiming the reaction to his AI use was more intense than what he experienced during that period. He also suggested that studios not disclosing AI use are likely employing it for coding.
Despite the heated rhetoric, Pedercini offered refunds to players who purchased Future? No Thanks! and "feel betrayed" by his use of AI. He also stated that his next project will be "completely hand-coded," as he has concluded that "AI-assisted programming is bad for me."