Despite Laying Off 1,000 Devs, Epic Says AI Isn’t Killing Jobs And Is Making Them More Efficient

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Epic's Final Goal With AI Isn't To Reduce Jobs.

Story Highlight
  • A senior development manager at Epic revealed the company isn’t using AI to steal jobs from people.
  • AI will only be used at the company to improve efficiency and reduce task duration.
  • Furthermore, no Fortnite development partners will be allowed to utilise AI.

Yesterday, Sony became the biggest entity in the gaming industry to openly embrace AI as the way forward. Just like EA, the Japanese company also insisted that the technology won’t replace human jobs or creativity, but instead amplify them.

According to executives, AI is already the norm in the gaming world, with 9 out of 10 studios using it in development but just not disclosing this info. Fortnite creator Epic Games holds a similar opinion to Sony and EA when it comes to the technology, saying AI tools are making jobs less hectic rather than taking them away.

Why it matters: Epic’s intentions might be right when it comes to utilising the technology, but fans will find its statement on job safety hard to swallow, considering the company fired 1,000 employees in 2026.

Epic Games
Epic Games fired 1,000 employees earlier this year.

While talking to GamesRadar, Stephanie Arnette, the senior development manager for Fortnite, stated that even though Epic recently fired 1,000 employees, AI isn’t being used to make jobs redundant at the company.

Epic has been exploring different AI tooling that we can use to help support our games. I know everyone’s biggest fear is, ‘Oh my god, AI is going to take all our jobs.’ That’s not our goal. The goal is to make us more efficient.

According to Arnette, Epic has been exploring different AI tools to help support games and make the company more efficient. However, its goal isn’t to take jobs away from human creatives like many people seem to think.

She further explained that the technology is being explored to reduce the time required for certain tasks. Furthermore, Stephanie Arnette also revealed that the company will use AI for artistic ventures.

Fortnite epic
Epic won’t allow development partners to use AI for Fortnite.

After hearing Sony’s remarks yesterday, it seems like Epic is borrowing from the same playbook. But considering its recent history with layoffs, it’s hard to believe the job safety rhetoric.

Stephanie Arnette also clarified that no Fortnite development partner can implement the technology from their end, as Epic will dictate if AI is used during the development process of Fortnite

Do you think Epic Games is utilising AI in an ethical manner? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.

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