“When we needed more artists in one of the other departments, we were able to shift people if they could work in another area. The cool thing about flexibility is you also get to know other aspects of the business and workflows that can make you better in your main skill set.”
Data from Autodesk suggests that M&E workforces are in alignment with these observations, with a 143% increase in Autodesk’s M&E portfolio certifications over the course of three years, from 2021 to the end of 2023. Based on Autodesk data, the top three training topics are model texturing, real-time character rigging, and creating architectural visualization scenes.
Some in the industry have expressed ambivalence about the role of AI in creative work, and the technology played a central role in recent actors’ and writers’ strikes. Still, respondents across all segments of the industry say that the ability to implement AI tools will be a necessary skill for future employees.
“Being able to work with and harness AI, whether it’s in art, development, or game planning, will be an important skill set in the future,” says Ji-Woong Hong of COM2US, a mobile and online game development company. “Additionally, technical artists and data scientists who can use AI models to predict the viability of different business models will also be valuable.”
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