Gaming News AI could integrate into our video games sooner than expected. But is this good or bad news?
The topic of artificial intelligence was unavoidable in 2023. Used by both professionals and the general public, this technology has made exceptional progress in recent months. Enough to potentially shake up our beloved video games, even if the threat of drift lurks in the shadows.
Summary
- resistance is futile
- AI in games can be anything you want it to be
- My friend’s enemy AI is my enemy
resistance is futile
ChatGPT, Synthesia, Sumo, Midjourney, Pika… many tools that harness the power of artificial intelligence have changed our habits. Consider that today anyone can create a text, an image and even music in just a few minutes. An American company even goes so far as to offer an AI companion that will accompany us everywhere, while a hologram Mario managed 100% by an AI already exists haunted the corridors the CES 2024. What was still science fiction 10 years ago in the film HER (Spike Jonze) is almost real today.
This increase in the power of AI, whose arrival has long been promised, is noticeable today. Many companies want to tame the machine that would be able to find cures for diseases but also complete a colossal task in just a few seconds. Both Microsoft and Sony are betting on this like never before: one has invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI, while the other has opened a subsidiary dedicated to AI research. While a key “co-pilot” (Assistant powered by Microsoft AI) will equip the keyboards of tomorrow, The big names in the video game industry have already declared that they are opening the door to AI. Among them: Square Enix, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Activision.
While the metaverse was – for a time – reluctant to interest curious investors, the concrete examples of AI have finally convinced shareholders to invest in groups that rely on artificial intelligence. Since the Redmond company invested in OpenAI, its market valuation has exploded to the point that it briefly overtook Apple’s. Who could have believed that 5 years ago?
AI in games can be anything you want it to be
In the world of video games, certain cases have made headlines, such as “High on Life”, the final version of which used both voices and machine-generated images. So far, players haven’t seemed receptive to the benefits of AI in their games, as he sees this as both laziness on the part of the producers and unwelcome stinginess. As already mentioned CNNThe rapid development of generative AI is opening up new frontiers in gaming with the promise of “infinite open worlds“and NPCs”truly independent“.
As we write these lines, there are already tools that allow you to create protagonists capable of generating texts with animations that match their mood. Because some developers are convinced that more intelligent NPCs make games more entertaining and stimulating. Various experts believe that the most difficult thing will be to create characters that have real interactions with other digital people, far from any script, or even characters that are able to truly experience the world in which the player is to change. When it comes to infinite universes, AI could go much further than the procedural generation we all know, as it would not be limited to the predefined algorithms and rules intended by the developers.
Of course, all these incredible promises are only binding for those who believe in them. But finally, At CES 2024, Nvidia unveiled ACE, an impressive technology that allows a user to chat/interact with a virtual character in a 3D world as if they were a real human. The journalists who got to try it out admitted to being impressed and didn’t hesitate to talk about it: “revolution“. Ubisoft, Tencent and NetEase show that they are very interested in what this tool could bring. Who knows, maybe in the not-too-distant future, walking through an open-world city will feel like venturing into a giant MMO where every visible protagonist is 100% RP? While that may be tempting, designers fear losing control of the beast.
My friend’s enemy AI is my enemy
“They’ll replace me with an AI and save about as much money as Kotick’s couch cushions” explained Sarah Arellano, Narrative Designer who has worked at Ubisoft, Blizzard and Volition. “I’ll find something else to do until the soulless games fail“ she adds in a message outlining her concerns about the advancement of AI in development studios.
Artists have long been promised that AI is just a tool to make work more efficient by eliminating repetitive tasks so they can work on more complex problems. “It is not about replacing individuals, human creativity will always be present in this process. I look at these tools and ask myself: How can they help teams?“ assured Phil Spencer in the lines of Moons. Chez BFMXavier Poix, director of Ubisoft French studios, explained that AI makes it possible “a development of artistic and technical talent“. “We use it to create better and more beautiful” he continued.
But at a time when crisis is taking hold and the machine can generate dialogues, produce small arcade games, deepen a pitch, create complex images and even facilitate 3D modeling, fear is growing among our makers. One of the promises of AI is the ability to speed up game development, and this could come at the expense of some professionals in the industry. First the jobs that have to do with writing, then the jobs in the areas of image, sound and perhaps soon also game logic and level design. In addition, Midjourney is already working on the generation open worlds using command prompts.
In 10 or 20 years, will it only take ideas to develop games on Unreal, and not various technical/artistic skills? Could this ultimately be a bad thing? The developers we were able to approach have mixed opinions on this topic. Some doubt the AI’s ability to generate open worlds with just a few clicks, while others think this is an incredible opportunity for indies. “The AI problem not only affects AI, but also humans“says a developer. Before we conclude: “It may just be an exciting technological development that at least needs to be regulated and to which we need to adapt“.
