AI is now everywhere, threatening to end countless careers as it awkwardly levels up in its quest to replace humans in every sphere imaginable.
With their complex dialogue and interaction systems that require months or years to develop, video games are the ideal candidate for the next phase of more sophisticated chatbot-inspired AI to supplant the busy work of countless burnt-out developers.
Nvidia knows this, and never shy about positioning itself as the great innovator of PC tech, has seized the initiative with its just announced ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) suite of AI developer tools.
To demonstrate the power of ACE, Nvidia released a tech demo featuring a live chat with an intelligent NPC inside a Cyberpunk 2077 style universe. The ensuing conversation is shown in the video below:
Our player asks a series of questions about criminal activity in the area, which our newly enlightened Ramen vendor duly obliges with informative answers regarding the parlous state of his neighbourhood.
It’s all very clever, as none of the questions or answers are pre-baked. The execution, however, plays as blandly as any awkward pre-recorded ‘conversation’ you might hear in a modern Indie title or major release from 10+ years back.
“You are hearing me talk” – Al Gore
Nvidia could have given us a more lively character to chat with here. The ‘man behind the bar’ archetype is a good starting point, but why not inject some discernible personality or heightened emotion into the scene?
The Ramen man is obviously concerned about crime, so why doesn’t he show it? A bit of pacing back and forth, frustratingly washing dishes interspersed with the odd huff and sigh, could have really added a bit of spice to the scene. The odd pause for thought, raising of his voice and mutter under his breath could have added some extra believability.
My point is, despite the undoubted cleverness of the tech, a traditional pre-made and well written conversation is going to be far more interesting than a lifeless chatbot ever could be.
Obviously, this is just a proof of concept, and the tech behind it is brand new. But as a way to get the world excited about AI in the gaming industry, this was a pretty unintelligent effort. Perhaps there’s hope for us mere humans after all?
Think AI is good for gaming? Or is it a disaster for jobs in the industry? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
