Video game AI sparks debate over who should write the story: NPR

Screenshot from a recent demo video of AI in video games by Nvidia and Convai.

Screenshot by NPR

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Screenshot by NPR

Screenshot from a recent demo video of AI in video games by Nvidia and Convai.

Screenshot by NPR

Will the future of artificial intelligence in video games be played out in a cyberpunk ramen bar? Tech companies would like us to think so, but game writers don't think so.

In a recent demo from tech company Nvidia, a human player used a microphone to speak to two video game characters, and the characters responded in real time using generative AI.

Nvidia said in a press release that the technology provides an opportunity to turn “common non-playable characters (NPCs)” into “dynamic, interactive characters that can initiate conversations and provide game knowledge to assist players in their quests.” said that it would be provided.

Nvidia partnered with tech startup Convai for the demo, but they're not the only company pushing new technology. New video games leveraging generative AI technology will be announced at this year's Game Developers Conference, held March 18-22 in San Francisco.

And the companies at the forefront of AI aren't just promising to do the work that human writers are already doing. They promise to completely change the way video game stories are told.

This claim has been met with skepticism and hesitation across the industry.

push the limits

In fact, change is already happening.

This technology is already widely used in game development. In a survey of more than 3,000 developers conducted by Game Developers Conference, nearly a third said they were already using AI at work. Business and marketing employees were the most likely to use this tool, while narrative employees were the least likely to use it.

But it is in storytelling that promise and risk are most carefully monitored.

Games often feature hundreds of characters who work together to build a larger story and a more immersive experience. Until now, their conversations have always been written by humans.

But Kylan Gibbs, who develops AI at his company Inworld AI, says generative technology has the potential to create new relationships between authors and creators.

“It means that everyone ends up with something that allows them to look at it from different angles while opening their eyes to the world's stories and stories,” he says.

Not everyone is so sure. Or, at least, they're less eager to start using AI in their games.

Josh Sawyer is a studio design director at Obsidian Entertainment, which has created narrative-heavy games like Pentiment and Fallout: New Vegas, and isn't interested in the recent introduction of AI.

“A lot of the demos, I'm not going to lie, they're very impressive. chatbot'' he said, adding that it's not something he uses in his game.

In games like Fallout: New Vegas, This film, about the survivors of Earth after a nuclear apocalypse, relies on small interactions with the world's many characters and their carefully crafted reactions to create a good story.

“The appeal for players is that the characters feel very specific,” Sawyer said. “We're not going to have a lot of general conversation.”

Zaravia Nelson Jr., who heads the independent studio Strange Scaffold, has similar concerns. He says that everything in the game needs to be filtered through layers of intent.

“When you hear about building NPCs that deliver a better or comparable game experience while being driven by AI responses, the first thing you have to ask is how consistent an experience will it create for the player? That’s the thing.”

“Even if an NPC interacts in a million different ways…if it doesn't lead to a broader message, you'll end up with what games call 'oatmeal', which is functionally nothing outside of the game.” You'll end up with a sludge that has no meaning or execution. A huge amount of things are sent out into the world. ”

ethical issues

Joon Sung Park, an AI researcher at Stanford University, doesn't think generative AI will replace human writers who come up with high-concept, compelling stories.

Rather, we believe that AI will make the game's many smaller characters more complex, more dynamic, and more spontaneous.

“What these agents are good at is creating believable micro-moments,” he said. “But they probably won't be able to create a story that's unique and really fun.”

Still, these days, human writers create many of the one-liners and small talk spoken by side characters in video games. Nelson Jr. says some writers may lose their jobs if AI does it for them.

“Eliminating junior positions means they don't make it to mid-level. It means they don't make it to senior level. It means they don't become the vibrant creative voices and directors of tomorrow. “It means not to be,” he said.

Despite the fact that generative AI is already being used across the industry, 87% of game developers surveyed by the Game Developers Conference are at least somewhat concerned about how this technology will impact the gaming industry. It states that

That's why for many people, it doesn't matter if it's AI or not. can Writing a good story — it's about being able to do it. should.

“Ten years from now, AI may be so good at what it does that it’s indistinguishable from the best human writers,” he says, writing and designing the hit game Stardew Valley entirely by himself. says Eric Barone.

“I feel like we need to look at the spiritual element here. I want to play a game made by humans, not a game made by soulless machines.”

That's the ethical question writers are facing right now. However, players will soon be faced with this problem and will have to decide whether a game written by artificial intelligence is one they want to play.