Debunking Claims: Silent Hill: Ascension is Authored By Human, Developer Asserts Amidst Insult Speculations
Genvid CEO Jacob Navok defends Silent Hill: Ascension, asserting that the narrative was crafted solely by human writers Refuting any insinuations of AI involvement, Navok emphasizes the game's authenticity
The CEO of the studio responsible for the interactive series Silent Hill: Ascension has adamantly denied claims that the show was written by artificial intelligence, emphasizing that it was in fact crafted by real people. He stated that any suggestion otherwise is an insult to the hard-working and talented individuals who poured their efforts into creating something they are proud of.
Silent Hill: Ascension is an interactive television series based on Konami's popular horror franchise, allowing users to stream new episodes and collectively determine the characters' choices. Following a viral tweet by ex-Giant Bomb video producer Voidburger on X (formerly Twitter), the show was criticized for a scene in which the characters encounter a mysterious man in the woods. The stilted dialogue and abrupt disappearance of the man led to speculation about the source of the writing.
"Voidburger has suggested that Silent Hill: Ascension was entirely written by A.I. and I have to say, I'm starting to believe it," Voidburger wrote. "There's this random NPC who shows up, claims to be hunting for berries, mentions seeing strange things, but never elaborates, gives no useful information, then disappears in search of more berries. Farewell, BerryMan."
Other users were quick to point out potential evidence supporting Voidburger's theory, such as a post from Genvid CEO Jacob Navok in July 2023, where he mentioned that the studio's upcoming projects all "include AI characters." In another post, Navok discussed how the project had reduced its use of AI features, instead focusing more on "human cinematography/animation for scene types over AI-driven." He also mentioned in an earlier post that the team had replaced "AI-driven escape sequences with mocap runs. The characters are still AI actors, as no player controls them, but we dictate their movements, adjust their eye gaze, lipsync, and finger movements."
Silent Hill: Ascension was completely written by a dedicated team of real individuals, with over 100,000 words authored and no input from LLMs or AI, according to Navok in response to accusations about AI involvement.
Navok emphasized in subsequent posts that the initial use of AI for the project was for testing purposes in relation to using the technology for animating and directing cinematics. He expressed skepticism about the use of AI for many creative pursuits, stating that "AI is far from ready" to be used in games.
"None of the AI work was ultimately utilized for this or any other projects," Navok stated. "We have a dedicated team of animators, writers, and narrative designers who have put in hard work to create something they are proud of. Imposing otherwise is a slight to the talented humans behind the project."
Silent Hill: Ascension's reception has been largely negative, with a 1.7 out of 5 user rating on the Google Play Store and a .4 user rating score on Metacritic. Multiple Silent Hill projects are currently in development, including the "progressing smoothly" Silent Hill 2 remake by Blooper Team, as well as Silent Hill f and Silent Hill Townfall.
Editor's P/S
As a Silent Hill fan, I am deeply invested in the franchise and have been eagerly anticipating the release of Silent Hill: Ascension. However, the recent controversy surrounding the involvement of AI in the writing process has left me feeling disappointed and concerned. While I understand that AI technology is rapidly advancing and has the potential to revolutionize various industries, I believe that the use of AI in creative endeavors like storytelling should be approached with caution.
The concerns raised by Voidburger and others regarding the stilted dialogue and abrupt disappearance of the mysterious man in the woods are valid. These issues point to a lack of human touch and emotional depth that is essential in creating a compelling narrative. While AI can generate text, it lacks the ability to truly understand and convey the nuances of human emotions, experiences, and relationships. As a result, AI-generated content often feels shallow and disconnected, which can negatively impact the overall storytelling experience.
