John Riccitiello is a well-known figure in the tech industry with an impressive track record of accurately predicting the future direction of technology. Recently, Riccitiello sat down with Joost van Dreunen from Aldora.io to discuss his enthusiasm for Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the GamesBeat Summit.
Riccitiello has a winning history of correctly calling the development of emerging technologies. While speaking about AI, he reminisced on the excitement surrounding the internet’s rise, mentioning that he felt a similar level of enthusiasm towards AI. He is sure that AI will be a major game changer and an influential force in content creation.
During his tenure at Electronic Arts, Riccitiello was confident that the Dreamcast had little to no potential and he was right. Then later on, he was skeptical about Web3, the blockchain technology, and the concept of the Metaverse. Despite doubting these concepts, he has been able to identify each individual part of them but did not believe they fit together to make a larger sea change.
Riccitiello reiterated that his accurate predictions were not the result of being a genius but rather the results of being a “student of history”. He is convinced that AI is the next big thing that will revolutionize the tech industry.
At Unity, which Riccitiello currently serves as Chief Executive Officer, Artificial Intelligence technology has been adopted in order to generate revenues. Unity’s Project Barracuda aims to overcome the high cost of AI by creating an interface that facilitates loading all the necessary components locally onto devices. This shifts the use of AI away from customers and towards a free service.
Riccitiello firmly agrees that Artificial Intelligence technology is not a substitute for human effort and innovation, rather it is a tool that will enhance the gaming industry to be a successful one and much bigger than before. He knows that the right mix of ingredients is necessary in order to hit the mark and reach its potential.
Joost van Dreunen is the CEO and co-founder of Aldora.io. He has over 20 years of experience in the game industry, including stints at Activision, Ubisoft and GfK. Joost has a track record of successfully launching multiple awarded games and playing an active role in the development of the global games market. He is passionate about discovering the future of gaming, particularly that of the transformative potential of AI and Blockchain gaming.