What awaits us in generative artificial intelligence in video games?

Generative artificial intelligence has taken a big leap forward. In a matter of a couple of years, we have seen how with a mouse click we can generate extensive texts, images, code, and even compose music. Ironically, it was always thought that creative jobs would be safe from automation. However, reality has proven otherwise.

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When it comes to video games, it is normal for the question to arise: how does the advancement of this technology affect the industry? As always, there is a bit of everything. Many developers are excited about the possibilities of artificial intelligence, while others are concerned about its potential for abuse.

Currently, large companies show interest in their advancements, but they are not fully committed to this technology, at least publicly. During the GDC 2024, NVIDIA and Ubisoft showcased their advancements with non-playable characters with dynamic response, the NEO NPC. Additionally, we also know that Inworld, the company responsible for this technology, has partnered with Microsoft to develop dialogue and narrative tools for video games. So far, these have been the most notable developments within the industry.

Large companies continue to watch from a distance, cautiously, to see how the situation unfolds. And although big promises are made about AI and everything it will be able to do, it is very likely that most of them will never be fulfilled.

In the case of art, it might seem that applications that generate images by simply entering a description will end up eliminating the work of the conceptual artist. AI can not only handle static images: there are already applications capable of generating 3D models with different characteristics and even complete videos, like Sora. Although they can be considered as just another tool, relying solely on AI as a creative engine is still a utopia for many reasons. The lack of context when generating an image and the continuous replication of clichés could be some of them.

Programming is another area where industry professionals have been able to notice the difference. Generative AI is conceived as a valid tool for writing lines faster, solving problems, and streamlining processes. But, just like with art, it is still difficult for it to completely replace a programmer.

However, one thing is certain. Pandora’s box has already been opened and novice developers are already using AI to develop their games. Nevertheless, we still have not reached a global consensus on AI and how it will ultimately affect its widespread use, the computational power it requires, the impact on nature that it entails, and the origin of the data with which it is trained.

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