Promethean AI uses artificial intelligence to help artists fill out game worlds

Artificial intelligence poses a threat to a lot of jobs out there, but Promethean AI thinks it can help game artists do their jobs better through automation of the tasks that are either too boring or repetitive. Andrew Maximov, former technical art director at Naughty Dog, worked as a lead artist on games such as the Uncharted series, where task of building out virtual landscapes required hundreds of artists and could be overwhelming at times. So he started the Los Angeles company to use AI to assist artists in the processing of building virtual worlds. "We are addressing a big need in the market where the cost keeps growing exponentially," Maximov said in an interview with GamesBeat. "If you project with the next generation, we cannot sustain that. In this generation, it went from $40 million to $100 million to make a game. It could become $200 mil. Then you need to sell 7 million copies to remain profitable. Above: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is stunning. Promethean AI's applications programming interface (API) is a toolset powered by patent-pending technology. It helps artists solve the problem of filling out vast spaces without being to formulaic or repetitive. Promethean AI suggests ideas for things like desks or lamps when you're filling out an apartment in a high-rise. Maximov said it takes away the mundane and non-creative work so that artists and developers can focus on what's important. "The main goal behind Promethean is to take the creative intent in your head and turn it into actionable 3D content without the manual hassle," Maximov said. "You have all these creative ideas and you want to see them materialize as fast as possible.