Game developers are harnessing the power of generative AI to improve the state of play. With hundreds of computer-controlled characters, many of whom have incidental roles, the goal of giving these bit players the ability to spout some meaningful dialogue, should a player cross their path, is one potential use for chatbot text. Sony’s Haven Studios is using GenAI to quickly mock-up characters, while Roblox is developing an AI system it plans to let users leverage to create digital objects and build-out virtual worlds based on text prompts.

AI is also contributing on a utility level, helping games get tested and through the development pipeline faster. Generative AI “can help build prototypes faster could free designers to distinguish bad ideas from good ones more rapidly, and maybe make the good ones great,” Axios writes.

At Haven in Montreal, the conveniences offered by GenAI are helping to extend the creative process across the staff, while freeing “skilled artists from mundane tasks so they can spend more time on visual refinements,” according to Axios.

AI has in recent years been used in games to generate in-game behavior for non-player characters (NPCs) and procedurally-generated environments, used in Roblox and Microsoft’s “Minecraft.”

“Generative AI, on the other hand, adds several new use cases for the technology from the earliest phases of a game’s development,” VentureBeat says.

Roblox has relied on a small subset of users who use its coding language to create experiences for the bulk of its 59 million daily active players. Generative AI promises to shift that dynamic, with tools that “not only accelerate creator productivity, but can significantly drop the technical skill needed to bring ideas to life,” said Roblox CTO Daniel Sturman per Axios.

However, some remain concerned regarding the impact of such changes on coders and developers, in addition to changes in game play. “Mark Riedl, a professor at Georgia Tech who also specializes in AI and games, says that just as generative AI can cause unpredictable and problematic web search results, it could potentially cause games to misbehave,” reports Wired.

“Game developers are generally very conservative and want guarantees about the quality of player experience,” said Riedl.

Related:
Roblox Is Working on Generative AI Tools, The Verge, 2/17/23
Roblox Shares Plans for Generative AI in the Metaverse, Voicebot.AI, 2/21/23
Roblox Shows Its Vision for UGC and Generative AI, VentureBeat, 2/17/23