Whenever you need a practical example of some new and complex tech innovation in action, look no further than the world of gaming. The sector is so vast, so competitive and so profitable that it is always among the earliest adopters of emerging technology. We’ve seen it with extended reality, we’ve seen it with blockchain and bless us all if we are not seeing it again with generative AI.
Now there has been plenty of discussions and more than a little controversy surrounding generative AI over recent weeks. Put simply, it is AI that is able to create, or generate, its own outputs and learn from its experiences. Software applications like ChatGPT have been at the heart of the controversy, but there has already been no shortage of discussion on that topic.
Here, we will take something of a step back and explore a less controversial use for generative AI, the technology that yearns only for self-improvement.
Taking gaming to literally new levels
The use of AI in gaming is nothing new. To date, it has mostly been used to provide an artificial opponent in games where you play “against the computer.” In the early days, the “A” outweighed the “I” as anyone who played racing games like Speed King or Pole Position will remember. The AI competitors were little more than rolling roadblocks.
We have seen how much that has changed in modern racing games like Real Racing 3, where AI drivers can really seem like they are out to get you. But generative AI can do more than just react to a player’s behavior.
The difference with generative AI is that it can procedurally generate game content, meaning the game keeps evolving. A player could sit down to the game every day and have a different experience. We have seen this concept to a limited extent in games like Minecraft, where there are always new things to experience, but this is being taken to another level by generative AI. For example, No Man’s Sky transports the player to a distant galaxy containing trillions of planets. Generative AI provides each one with its own unique ecosystem and terrain.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Some games even employ an AI Director to throw curve balls into the gaming action. This has been introduced to the latest updates in the Left 4 Dead series, for example, where the AI Director has various capabilities including sudden changes to the soundtrack or throwing a few extra zombies into the action if the player is having too easy a time of it.
Slay the Spire has been one of the biggest gaming sensations of the last couple of years, and it uses a generative AI Director to randomize the game levels, making every gaming experience different. Roblox is another game that has been trending in recent months and uses generative AI to allow players to create virtual assets using natural language to explain their requirements.
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Ensuring the safest casino experience for all
We can’t talk about innovative gaming technology without touching on iGaming. The online casino sector is even more competitive than the broader gaming industry, and casino platforms are always quick to try any innovation that might provide a competitive advantage. Online casinos that have fast payout and a wide choice of games are an immediate magnet to US casino players. But today’s players are as focused on safety as they are on fast payouts.
A growing number are trialing generative AI to support responsible gambling initiatives by monitoring player behavior to identify patterns that suggest problem gambling and initiating appropriate measures.
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