AI and BGA

[nik592]

However, I’m not as confident as Nik when it comes to AI replacing our profession. A task can be completed at least twice as fast (and we’re only just getting started), which means companies will need fewer and fewer developers to do the same amount of work.

Time will tell, but we have a constant backlog of bugs and requested features that we can never get to. If AI can make us work twice as fast (or better), that means we can get to some of those things. We can attempt larger projects that we just don't have time for. A critical piece of our software was written a LONG time ago on GWT (Google Web Toolkit), and it's an absolute PITA to make any changes - normally you add a significant buffer to any estimate because inevitably a change will break some other parts unintentionally, and testing has to be careful because of that. If we could free up some devs to rewrite it (and use AI to help), that would be amazing.

Large shifts in technology do usually change the employment landscape, but it doesn't always end up with people being out of a job. And with a shift in technology comes new jobs. My job wasn't an option for my parents to consider. There are jobs being created now that I never thought of only 30-ish years ago when I was in high school. And some people will prefer to shift from being "farmers" to being some of these new things.

[AutumnCamel]

I use AI every day to build software, it's very useful when used properly. I do an extensive planning cycle prior to any code changes, and lots of manual and automated testing afterwards. I commend your pragmatism, and welcome the new and improved BGA with reduced technical debt, fewer bugs and more features. The biggest complaint I hear from publishers is getting their game on BGA is a PITA, so if that problem could be solved it would go along way to encourage more great games on BGA. Thank you for the hard work!

[nik592]

I use AI every day to build software, it's very useful when used properly. I do an extensive planning cycle prior to any code changes, and lots of manual and automated testing afterwards. I commend your pragmatism, and welcome the new and improved BGA with reduced technical debt, fewer bugs and more features. The biggest complaint I hear from publishers is getting their game on BGA is a PITA, so if that problem could be solved it would go along way to encourage more great games on BGA. Thank you for the hard work!

I'm not sure if you're thanking me and commending my pragmatism? I don't work for BGA and my comment isn't about BGA - I am a software developer and I'm referring to the software I develop for my day to day work. I don't know what BGA's stance on use of AI is - but my point is similar to yours I think, that AI can be a very useful tool for software development. I was previously skeptical, but having used it for a couple of months I can already see the benefits and I've had to adjust my opinion. And while new tools typically do make existing jobs require fewer humans to do the same work, that doesn't necessarily imply fewer humans having work (but some may need to shift into different jobs over the long term).

[dhnyny]

I hope no one misunderstood me; I think AI has a place here on BGA, for example in teaching the basics of a game, or even replacing players in friendly mode...

Heck no. We have fine tutorials already and there are videos for most games on the web. There is no need to involve systems that are predicated on stealing others' work (to train them), harm the environment and the communities they are located in, in various ways, and raise power costs for others on the same power grid due to supply and demand. I just love having my power bill be MULTIPLES of what it was before LLMs and such due to the added demand.

The Lumen AI video was horrible and a waste of my time. I still needed to read the rulebook afterwards.
I've also had to log a rules bug (after triple checking the rules for user error, so I'm pretty sure) right on the first turn. Perhaps AI did some of the coding too and they didn't test it. I'm so sick of people outsourcing intelligence to LLMs and putting out slop.

Amen.