Key facts
- Miyamoto said AI mostly takes over the labor of filling gaps and refining details, not the act of creation.
- He said the satisfaction of labor can mislead a designer into thinking a high-quality work has been produced.
- Miyamoto said that even if AI eventually handles everything, there will always be a role left for people.
- Miyamoto is the first game designer to receive Japan's Order of Culture, per the report.
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario and The Legend of Zelda franchises, told reporters on November 3, 2026 that growing artificial intelligence capability in game development will create opportunities for everyone to think seriously about what creation really means.
Miyamoto spoke at a press conference in Tokyo on October 23, 2026, held after his selection for Japan's Order of Culture was announced, according to the report. He is the first game designer to receive the award, which Japan gives for contributions to the arts, science or general culture, the report said.
Miyamoto drew a line between creating a game and the labor of building it. Creation begins with a broad structure, followed by hands-on work filling gaps and refining details, he said. He said that labor can be enjoyable, and that a designer might mistake satisfaction with it for having produced a high-quality piece of work.
He compared generative AI to earlier shifts in tools, from typewriters to word processors to computers, saying each advance made an individual designer's ability easier to see. Work that lasts comes from deliberate design intent with the computer as an assistant, he said, and even if AI eventually handles everything, a role will remain for people.