Game developers have used artificial intelligence since the 1950s, and as the technology develops, it is being used for shortcuts in design without the need of workers.
AI has become more apparent in our everyday lives, and debate is rising over whether people should be worried. The abilities and uses of AI are rapidly changing, with a new notable knack for replicating people’s voices and faces, but it is used differently in gaming.
California State University, Northridge computer science professor Cecile Bendavid shared the importance of learning and understanding AI as it spreads.
“AI is growing and will enhance learning, with people learning how to live with it rather than avoiding it,” said Bendavid.
Generations of games have used AI to make characters act like real people. AI is used in video games with independent decision-making to make adaptive characters act in a random, human-like manner, according to an article from the academic journal Kultura Polisa. This prevents non-playable characters, or NPCs, from being monotonous and robotic, to ensure player immersion.
Another use of AI to improve player immersion is found in level design. Well-known games including Minecraft and No Man’s Sky use generative AI, one of the technology’s many subfields, to create an almost-infinite world. The endless generation is a task only possible thanks to AI.
Although there are negative sentiments around AI, the gaming industry is investing in the evolving technology. Companies like Latitude, Osmo and Gosu Data Lab specialize in emerging uses of AI in video games, including AI-generated stories, interactive play and data analysis. These groups have received multimillion-dollar investments, according to the global product development company Appinventiv. The funneling of money piles into the concern of low job security in the gaming industry as AI becomes more pervasive.
AI has been used to reiterate human art, which the company Promethean spearheads in game development.
“The main goal behind Promethean is to take the creative intent in your head and turn it into actionable 3D content without the manual hassle,” said founder Andrew Maximov to GamesBeat.
Promethean AI learns an artist’s style of environment design and recreates it, which is seen by some as a more efficient way to create games. This shrinks the responsibilities of designers, which others see as a threat to their employment.
“People will always need to know how to code, but spending hours and hours on coding will go away,” said Bendavid.
AI is still evolving and the way it is used in video game development is changing every day. As technology changes the landscape of design, people and their art persevere.
