The creator of ‘Catastrophe’ says AI can do a lot of things besides being original.

Artificial intelligence has changed the way developers create video games. But while AI is a powerful tool for generating images and music based on questions, John Romero, founder of ID Software and co-creator of Dom, says it still can't create anything truly new.

In a brief interview with Ars Technica, Romero expressed skepticism about how much artificial intelligence will actually affect gaming.

“It's important for us to be super original,” he said. “Generative AI is based on databases of things that have already been created, and we're trying to create something completely new.”

Game studios have enlisted AI for tasks ranging from modding non-player characters to fixing toxic chat rooms to creating the voices of dead voice actors. Its use in creative activities, however, is more controversial. A study found that half of game developers have used AI – but many are concerned about the technology.

Romero says that while AI is advancing, it hasn't reached the point where human artists can design and collaborate.

Creating new things isn't what generative AI is doing yet – I know they're working on that – but when you're making an original game, it's important that you're using your design sense and working with people. It comes with something you've never seen before,” he said. “So if you're trying to use it, you're limited by generative AI.”

While Romero said generative AI is good for research — describing it as a “super-Google” for answering questions — he was also skeptical about how AI models are trained.

“When it's used to generate images or creative concepts, that's problematic because that's not coming from your own data,” Romero told the agency, emphasizing the importance of using AI ethically and compensating the resources used to train AI.

Romero did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.

In the year Released in 1993, Doom is a classic video game that served as a pilot for blockchain technology. Crypto developers often use it to demonstrate the capabilities of blockchain – including Bitcoin And Dogecoin–to the Support And run decades-old software. Even OpenAI's flagship chatbot, Discussion GPTTried to play Doom.

In February, aiming to prove that Doom can run on anything, Swedish power equipment maker Husqvarna partnered with ID Software to launch a lawnmower-based version of Doom.

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.