The creator of ‘Super Mario’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda’ is 73 years old and has lived through several technological revolutions. That’s why when they asked him for his opinion on generative AI, his response was anything but dramatic. Miyamoto doesn’t believe AI can completely replace us, at least not when it comes to real talent.
From typewriters to AI. Miyamoto appeared in front of the press a few days ago when he was awarded the Order of Culture, a prestigious recognition for contributions to art, science and technology in Japan. When asked about generative AI, Miyamoto chose to relate his own experiences with other technological revolutions: “Our generation lived through a period of rapid computer development, a time where tools from typewriters to word processors were constantly evolving.”
According to his view, these types of tools, beyond mastering a technique, furthered the individual’s creative abilities. In a statement reported by VGC, Miyamoto said: “I think generative AI represents a similar shift.”
Putting in hours does not equal having talent. Japanese creative points out that “the act of creation is satisfying in itself, but there is a danger: one can find satisfaction in the work and mistakenly believe that one has created something of great quality.” That is, spending hours working on a design doesn’t mean it’s good.
This is where he sees an opportunity for artificial intelligence: “The more AI replaces these tasks, the more opportunity there will be to reflect on what really matters.” For Miyamoto, the creator’s intent is everything, and he cautions that designs based on copy/paste “rarely stand the test of time.” His conclusion is that, even if AI “takes care of everything, there will always be a role for us.”
AI and art. The first image generation tools sparked the debate: Can we consider anything created by AI art? Or looking at it from another angle: Can we consider a person an artist using AI? On the one hand there are those who completely reject the use of AI as a shortcut to creativity, on the other there are those who see it as a tool like a graphics tablet or a camera. Miyamoto’s position leans more towards the idea that AI won’t kill art or creativity, but perhaps it will kill mediocre artists.
Game developers use AI. In 2025, a survey made it clear: 87% of video game developers are already using AI agents in their daily lives. AI is no longer a one-time experiment, but part of the production phase of many games, from writing code and generating dialogue to creating levels. The nuance is that using AI as a tool is not the same as letting it do all the work.
In December last year, the demo of Codex Mortis, a game built entirely with AI, arrived on Steam. Reception from players was very negative, describing it as “soulless machine-generated garbage”. That’s exactly where Miyamoto is going: AI can help make a game, but the creativity and ideas that make it playable are another matter.
Through this 3dgames
Picture | Wikipedia, edited with Magnific
In Xataka | We have reached a point where artists have to explain that they created their work without the help of AI and not the other way around.
