AI is “becoming more and more necessary”, says FF7 Remake director

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake director, Naoki Hamaguchi, commented on the role AI ought to play at Square Enix while in New York to promote the Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. 

Speaking to Gamespot, Hamaguchi stated: “ I don’t rely on AI to come up with ideas and things like that.” 

That said, the director did offer some caveats.

“AI is a tool that I, and other colleagues, would utilise so that our tasks would become much smoother, or some of the menial tasks are taken care of by AI,” he continued.

“I think it’s becoming more and more necessary.” Going on to state “ I think the purpose of utilising these tools is so that creators will have a better environment so that they can work more efficiently and they can explore more creative options.” 

An artificial concern? 

The comments by themselves do not suggest any use of AI beyond what we have seen some studios embrace. Hamaguchi’s statement mirrors comments made by the Larian CEO surrounding their use of AI within their upcoming title, Divinity. 

That said, Square Enix is far from restrained when it comes to its plans and rhetoric surrounding AI. Last November, it revealed potential plans to replace 70% of their QA staff with AI, receiving backlash from, ironically, Baldur’s Gate 3’s publishing director. 

This contributes to the wider storm of AI controversy within the gaming landscape. Ubisoft, for instance, continues to double down on the use of generative AI as future console generations are delayed due to shortages caused by this recent AI boom. 

Despite this, we would still urge caution in taking Hamaguchi’s comments as a warning sign for Final Fantasy 7 Remake part 3. 

While greater AI use is likely on the horizon, Hamaguchi’s comments do suggest considerable restraint. Until we see the final product, any speculation on how Remake part 3 may turn out is just that: speculation.