Microsoft has a substantial vision for the use of generative AI in gaming, which is illustrated by their alliance with Inworld AI for Xbox. Inworld concentrates on NPCs - characters that are not controllable by players and who appear in the created virtual realms, but at this stage are usually restricted to a programmed script. Kylan Gibbs, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Inworld AI states that "AI NPCs are more than a mere technical revolution; they bring about a whole new approach to user engagement."
The ever-increasing progress in generative artificial intelligence is sure to reshape not only the human experience but also the nature of NPCs – the non-playable characters who inhabit generated video game worlds and who have hitherto been confined to simplistic scripts – as one of the first gaming components to be enhanced by AI. Microsoft Xbox and Inworld AI's recent collaboration is a prime example. The technology developed by them will allow NPCs to break free from predefined roles, adapt to the player's behavior, learn from player interactions, and become a significant part of a living, breathing game universe. Kylan Gibbs, co-founder and chief product officer of Inworld AI, spoke of the fascinating implications of this development, “It's not only about a technological advancement. It's about a paradigm shift in player engagement.” This advancement can also be beneficial to gaming companies and game developers as it is anticipated to heighten immersion, thereby boosting replayability, retention, and revenue. Long known as a key player in gaming's success story, Nvidia is now optimistic about AI's potential, with John Spitzer, Vice President of Developer and Performance Technology at Nvidia, recently telling CNBC that “All developers are interested in how artificial intelligence can impact game development process” with NPC powering an integral test case.
The limits and potential of technology have always determined what gaming worlds developers are able to create. According to Gibbs, this technology will further spark a new age of storytelling, creative expression, and game play. Many of the coming advancements will be "games we have yet to imagine," he said.Bing Gordon, an advisor at Inworld and former chief creative officer at Electronic Arts, highlighted that the recent improvements in visuals and graphics have been a major breakthrough in gaming. As the chief product officer at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins and a board member of Take-Two Interactive, he believes AI will be a game-changer for gamers and game designers alike. "AI will enable immersive worlds and unique narratives that put players in the middle of the action," Gordon said. "Plus, AI that affects game mechanics has the potential to increase involvement and draw gamers more deeply into the game." The primary opportunity AI presents may be in gaming production. Anders Christofferson, partner in Bain & Company's media & entertainment practice, remarked, "That's where we anticipate seeing a large impact first." Gen AI is already being used to create presentations with programs like PowerPoint and the primary drafts of speeches, and Christofferson believes this technology will free up developers to concentrate on more creative components of game development. According to a recent Bain report, AI is already being used to plan game content and will soon be used to generate characters, dialogue, and the environment. Executives in the gaming industry anticipate that AI will manage over half of gaming production within the next five to ten years. This will likely not reduce costs for blockbuster games (which can incur a total production cost of $1 billion), but it will enable quicker dissemination and improved quality. This also implies that the average gamer will have the chance to be involved in content creation. Studies found that 72% of workers who use AI report that it makes them more productive, which Microsoft's Copilot AI further confirms. Christofferson commented that there is still much to be learned about GenAI over the next few years. “Given the changes that are happening in gaming, it’s difficult to forecast AI’s scale at the present,” said Julian Togelius, associate professor of computer science and engineering at New York University. He believes that GenAI is already popular with game developers, such as programmers using Copilot and ChatGPT to write code, and concept artists working with Stable Diffusion and Midjourney. Furthermore, AI-augmented QA is an area of gaining interest. He concluded by saying that AI is “a medium-size deal” in the game development process.
Technology has always determined the gaming worlds developers can create. According to Gibbs, this technology will fuel a new era of storytelling, creative expression, and innovative game play. Bing Gordon, an advisor at Inworld and former chief creative officer at Electronic Arts, believes that AI will be a major game-changer for both gamers and game designers. It will enable immersive worlds and unique narratives that put players in the middle of the fantasy, as well as increase engagement by affecting game mechanics. Gen AI could be used in gaming production first, freeing up developers to place their focus on the imaginative elements of game-making. AI is also being used to create content and build characters, dialogue, and environments, and gaming executives believe that by the next five to ten years, AI will manage over half of game development. Studies show that 72% of workers who use AI report that it makes them more productive, according to Copilot AI. And while the exact impact of AI remains to be seen, it appears to already be widely used in game development.
Microsoft and Inworld are teaming up to explore two big potentials of AI in video games: design-time savings and navigating narrative generation. If a game features hundreds of NPCs, having AI create biographies for each could dramatically reduce development overhead, while advanced AI powering the interactions with them could add depth to the game. According to Togelius, the latter will pose a greater challenge. He explains that the issue is two-fold: the risk of LLMs (Large Language Models) creating incorrect responses, and the fact that games are not necessarily designed to accommodate unpredictable NPCs. In the game world, predictability is key in order to function smartly and provide thrilling, limitless experiences. Introducing randomness to the equation, thus, might be a barrier for AI adoption. “AI will be an increasingly common feature in games and game design in the near future,” predicts Togelius. “We’ll need new strategies that build on AI’s capabilities and weaknesses.”
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