Alex Nichiporchik, the CEO of TinyBuild, sparked controversy with his keynote speech at the Develop: Brighton conference. During the speech, Nichiporchik discussed the potential uses of AI tools in the workplace, specifically focusing on monitoring employee Slack messages and meeting transcriptions to identify “potential problematic players”. Although Nichiporchik later clarified that this discussion was hypothetical, it has raised concerns about the intrusion of AI in the workplace.
TinyBuild’s Exploration of AI
Nichiporchik’s talk titled ‘AI in Gamedev: Is My Job Safe?’ provided insights into how TinyBuild has adopted AI in its daily practices to enhance efficiency. However, it was the section on “AI for HR” that garnered the most attention. In this part of the presentation, Nichiporchik explored how AI could be used by HR to detect employee burnout, also referred to as “toxicity”. The process involved identifying potential problematic team members, analyzing their Slack messages and meeting transcriptions using Chat GPT, and conducting an “I, Me Analysis”.
Nichiporchik suggested that the frequency of using “I” or “me” in meetings, compared to the overall word count, could indicate the probability of a person experiencing burnout. By identifying employees who excessively focus on themselves, monopolize meeting time, and receive negative feedback in peer reviews, it becomes possible to identify and address potential burnout early on.
Potential Controversy and Contradictions
The exact implications of Nichiporchik’s vision remain murky. While WhyNowGaming reported that TinyBuild had been experimenting with this technology retroactively on former employees and was now using it proactively, Nichiporchik denied monitoring employees or using AI to identify problematic individuals. He described the HR part of his presentation as hypothetical and emphasized that the exploration of AI tools was intended to highlight their potential for good.
The Rising Role of AI in the Workplace
Despite Nichiporchik’s clarification and TinyBuild’s internal practices, the use of AI in the workplace will undoubtedly continue to be a topic of discussion. Other CEOs may consider utilizing AI in similarly controversial ways. AI has become a prominent subject across various industries, including the gaming industry, and opinions are divided on its impact. However, it is clear that AI is an issue that cannot be ignored.