RPG Evolution: The AI DM in Action

How might WOTC launch an AI-powered DM assistant?

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.​

We know Wizards of the Coast is tinkering with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools for its multiple properties, including Dungeons & Dragons. But what might that look like in practice?

Interactive NPCs​

Large Language Model (LLM) AIs have been used extensively to create non-player characters of all stripes on Character.AI. It's not a stretch to imagine that Wizards might have official NPCs included as part of the digital purchase of an adventure, with the rough outline of the NPC acting as parameters for how it would interact. DMs might be able to create their own or modify existing NPCs so that the character drops hints or communicates in a certain way. Log outputs could then be available for DMs to use later.

There are several places today where you can create NPC bots powered by AI that are publicly available, although the DM might need to monitor the output in real time to record the conversation. Character.AI and Poe.com both provide the ability to create publicly available characters that players can interact with .

Random Generators​

There are already dozens of these in existence. What's particularly of note is that AI can go deep -- not just randomize what book is in a library, but provide snippets of text of what's in that book. Not just detail the name of a forgotten magic item, but provide stats for the item. For WOTC products, this could easily cover details that no print product can possibly encompass in detail, or with parameters (for example, only a library with books on necromancy).

AI RPG companion is a great example of this, but there are many more.

Tabletop Assistants​

Hasbro recently partnered with Xplored, with the goal of developing a "new tabletop platform that integrates digital and physical play." Of particular note is how Xplore's technology works: its system "intelligently resolves rules and character behaviors, and provides innovative gameplay, new scenarios and ever-changing storytelling events. The technology allows players to learn by playing with no rulebook needed, save games to resume later, enables remote gameplay, and offers features like immersive contextual sound and connected dice."

If that sounds like it could be used to enhance an in-person Dungeons & Dragons game, Xplored is already on that path with Teburu, a digital board game platform that uses "smart-sensing technology, AI, and dynamic multimedia." Xplored's AI platform could keep track of miniatures on a table, dice rolls, and even the status of your character sheet, all managed invisibly and remotely by an AI behind the scenes and communicating with the (human) DM.

Dungeon Master​

And then there's the most challenging aspect of play that WOTC struggles with to this day: having enough Dungeon Masters to support a group. Wizards could exclusively license these automated DMs, who would have all the materials necessary to run a game. Some adventures would be easier for an AI DM to run than others -- straightforward dungeon crawls necessarily limit player agency and ensure the AI can run it within parameters, while a social setting could easily confuse it.

Developers are already pushing this model with various levels of success. For an example, see AI Realm.

What's Next?​

If Hasbro's current CEO and former WOTC CEO Chris Cocks is serious about AI, this is just a hint at what's possible. If the past battles over virtual tabletops are any indication, WOTC will likely take a twofold approach: ensure it's AI is well-versed in how it engages with adventures, and defend its branded properties against rival AI platforms that do the same thing. As Cocks pointed out in a recent interview, WOTC's advantage isn't in the technology itself but in its licenses, and it will likely all have a home on D&D Beyond. Get ready!

 

[Raiztt]

Come on, I literally gave an example in this thread about why art I generated with MidJourney was better than human art. I don’t get how you still think all AI art looks bad.

All art produced by a human is superior to AI 'art' because it has the property of having been made by a human, which is a valuable property.

This entire thing boils down to "art as superficial, consumable commodity" vs. "art as expression of human creativity and value".

 

[Sulicius]

All art produced by a human is superior to AI 'art' because it has the property of having been made by a human, which is a valuable property.

This entire thing boils down to "art as superficial, consumable commodity" vs. "art as expression of human creativity and value".

No, it boils down to something I can use compared to something I can't use. I'm not trying to solve philosophical debates, I am running a game of D&D.

I wouldn't even want to call it art at this point, just to dodge that issue. It is an image that helps my players enjoy the game.
I didn't want to show my players a ghoulish inhuman thing they wouldn't trust for a heartbeat, instead I had a tool to make something that allowed me to make a really cool story beat. That is MY art.

 

[Raiztt]

No, it boils down to something I can use compared to something I can't use. I'm not trying to solve philosophical debates, I am running a game of D&D.

I wouldn't even want to call it art at this point, just to dodge that issue. It is an image that helps my players enjoy the game.
I didn't want to show my players a ghoulish inhuman thing they wouldn't trust for a heartbeat, instead I had a tool to make something that allowed me to make a really cool

Thank God that AI has come to save your players from their weak imaginations. I mean, how did they even find references or visualize things over the last 50 years? Truly revolutionary.

That is MY art.

Until you're replaced by an AI DM, of course.

If I needed a visual aid and it was that important to my game... I'd just commission an artist to draw it but I guess I'm just crazy like that.

 

[ART!]

I wouldn't even want to call it art at this point, just to dodge that issue. It is an image that helps my players enjoy the game.

I think this is a good way to approach things.

 

[Oofta]

Thank God that AI has come to save your players from their weak imaginations. I mean, how did they even find references or visualize things over the last 50 years? Truly revolutionary.

Until you're replaced by an AI DM, of course.

If I needed a visual aid and it was that important to my game... I'd just commission an artist to draw it but I guess I'm just crazy like that.

What about those people that enjoy sharing images but will never, ever commission a piece of art? I've been finding images online for quite a while now, I find it adds to my game. But I never once paid a dime for that artwork.

I don't see much of a difference.

 

[timbannock]

Thank God that AI has come to save your players from their weak imaginations. I mean, how did they even find references or visualize things over the last 50 years? Truly revolutionary.

Until you're replaced by an AI DM, of course.

If I needed a visual aid and it was that important to my game... I'd just commission an artist to draw it but I guess I'm just crazy like that.

Aside from the condescension at the start of that response, I agree with your general point, but would like to point out that commissioning artists can be expensive as heck, can be fraught with project coordination-type issues, and could lead to subpar results. I've commissioned art both for private use and for published works, and the nature of it has rarely ever been what I'd consider easy or quick. And even the cheapest cases cost money.

Stock art is an option, but rarely even close to an exacting one.

 

[Reynard]

Thank God that AI has come to save your players from their weak imaginations. I mean, how did they even find references or visualize things over the last 50 years? Truly revolutionary.

Until you're replaced by an AI DM, of course.

If I needed a visual aid and it was that important to my game... I'd just commission an artist to draw it but I guess I'm just crazy like that.

Your sense of superiority over others here is pretty off putting. Maybe try and be less judgemental?

 

[Raiztt]

What about those people that enjoy sharing images but will never, ever commission a piece of art? I've been finding images online for quite a while now, I find it adds to my game. But I never once paid a dime for that artwork.

I don't see much of a difference.

There is no difference when you're sharing and using art created by people to use as references and inspiration. Thats what you should be doing. And if you need something even more exact, you can commission an artist instead.

 

[Raiztt]

Your sense of superiority over others here is pretty off putting. Maybe try and be less judgmental?

Read into it what you will. Shrug emoji.

 

[Reynard]

There is no difference when you're sharing and using art created by people to use as references and inspiration. Thats what you should be doing. And if you need something even more exact, you can commission an artist instead.

If there's no difference, why are you so angry about it?