Nvidia’s AI Graphics Boost Faces Criticism Amid Gaming Fears

New graphics-boosting AI technology from chip giant Nvidia has been met with mixed reactions. Touted as a “GPT moment” for gaming at its annual developer conference in California’s San Jose, the technology is set to be recycled into games in the upcoming generation of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described DLSS 5 as the company’s most significant breakthrough since its creation in 2018. The resource-intensive tech will only work with Nvidia’s most powerful and expensive graphics cards.

A video published by Nvidia showed before and after shots of several popular games, including Resident Evil Requiem, Starfield, and Harry Potter tie-in Hogwarts Legacy. Many online commenters recoiled at the dramatic changes in visual realism, likening it to “AI-generated images” that infest social networks.

Gaming podcaster Will Smith warned on Bluesky that adding more AI into graphics would keep players from experiencing the visual art of games as developers intended. Bethesda, Starfield’s developer, responded by stating that game developers have full artistic control over DLSS5’s effects to ensure they maintain their game’s unique aesthetic.