Microsoft’s Sarah Bond seems optimistic about AI’s place in games

Microsoft executives seem excited over AI as the use of services like ChatGPT exploded in popularity over the last year, capturing the attention of countless online communities and professions. Whether it’s out of excitement or concern depends on the person.

To someone like Microsoft executive Sarah Bond, AI’s prospects are exciting. She’s the head of creator experience and ecosystem at Xbox, and in an interview with Inverse, Bond sheds light on where she believes gaming should go.

According to Bond, gaming is on the “precipice of a YouTube or SoundCloud moment” where technology will allow greater collective freedom. She refers to a future of “citizen creators,” a democratized creation space further fueled by AI.

Undoubtedly, Bond’s position is a divisive one as ethical questions arise around AI’s use, especially those in creative industries. Microsoft is already facing class action lawsuits as AI training systems allegedly harvest personal information from users. Recently, the cooperation went as far as promising legal protections for some of its Copilot AI users should they face copyright infringement suits.

As part of Xbox leadership, Bond offers insight into development as she discusses stories made possible by greater geographic inclusion. Her chat with Inverse weaves that sentiment in with Game Pass, explaining how the Xbox program offers smaller developers a better chance to thrive through not only the tools but also with community support.

Regardless, if AI-generated content continues as it is, it treads into legally murky territory. Also, AI’s current use in games has admittedly returned some strange results.

Bond’s aspirations are lofty, and her work with Game Pass and ID @ Xbox is admirable, but there are still valid concerns over AI’s use to replace the human touch. Outside of creating bizarre, uncanny valley-style art, the rapid replacement of people as artists, writers, and beyond raises red flags about automation.