AI in Gaming (a Poll) [+]

[CleverNickName]

I think it's safe to say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, and it's probably here to stay--at least in the gaming industry, anyway. I don't know how well this is going to work out for me here at EN World, but I wanted to at least try to talk about it from a gamer geek's point of view. Please note the [+] tag in the title: I don't want this to turn into a fight.

According to you, what are some acceptable uses of AI in the gaming industry? Check all that apply.

This list is intended to be inclusive of as many game types as possible, including TTRPGs, video games, and board games, so you might see some things that might not apply to your Friday night D&D table. "AI-generated images," for example, could apply to everything from artwork in a D&D book, to marketing and ads for a new board game, to door textures in a video game...but "Adaptive dialogue" is probably specific to video games.

Anyway. I know this poll isn't perfect, but let's all do our best. I want to talk about the ethical, productive, and profitable ways that AI can be used in the gaming industry, if any. I believe that there is a theoretical "line in the sand" that AI cannot cross: some things are acceptable, others are not, and I'd like to find out where my peers would draw that line.

 

[CleverNickName]

I know the poll options are vague...the character limit doesn't allow for a lot of nuance. I also know that I'm not an expert on Artificial Intelligence, so there's a good chance I used the wrong terminology or cited poor examples. I'm a gamer, not a computer programmer. But that's okay! The purpose of this poll is to generate discussion, not "prove" anything. So vote as best you can, and add more details or explanation in the comments.

 

[payn]

I think generic GM tools would be fine. Stuff like building maps and items for VTT.

 

[CleverNickName]

My line in the sand is closer to the "here's a tool to help me prep my adventures" side, and pretty far from "here's a way to avoid paying writers and artists" side. So I'd be all about treasure hoard generators, random encounter calculators, and I dunno, weather/environment generators.

AI-generated images are interesting for me to look at, but I struggle with the ethics. I believe that AI-generated artwork is stolen artwork, so I would never use it in anything I intend to publish, regardless of my asking price.

 

[Celebrim]

I mean, it's all acceptable. A few things aren't to my preference, but that doesn't make them unacceptable. A few things are currently beyond the powers of current generation AI to do well, and so my preference would be because of that for human generated content, but that's again just a preference. And ultimately, it's just a tool to spark creativity or to reduce cost of production. I pay for quality. That's it.

 

[ART!]

I don't know enough about how stuff in video games is generated, and I'd like to know how people working on the creative end of the video game biz feels about the use of AI there.

That said, I don't want AI images or writing, and the rest I marked as acceptable. There's some blurring there, because if you're okay with AI-generated maps, terrain, etc, then why not images? What's the difference? I guess I want human artists creating the stuff around which the stories revolve, but AI-assisted or -generated fluff is okay? Hmm...

 

[CleverNickName]

There's some blurring there, because if you're okay with AI-generated maps, terrain, etc, then why not images? What's the difference? I guess I want human artists creating the stuff around which the stories revolve, but AI-assisted or -generated fluff is okay? Hmm...

Right?! This topic is a lot more complicated than some folks like to paint it. (Pun intended.)

 

[aramis erak]

I think it's safe to say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, and it's probably here to stay--at least in the gaming industry, anyway. I don't know how well this is going to work out for me here at EN World, but I wanted to at least try to talk about it from a gamer geek's point of view. Please note the [+] tag in the title: I don't want this to turn into a fight.

According to you, what are some acceptable uses of AI in the gaming industry? Check all that apply.

The only ones I feel are off limits are text and adaptive difficulty.
I'm not averse to adaptive AI strategy, but only within some programmed limits.

I have no issues with it as an art generator, be it 2d or 3d images, music, or automating animation.

The caveat? I expect ethical sourcing. Images should be either explicitly released, public space, or expired copyrights. Texts likewise. This does limit modern utility.

 

[Gradine]

Procedural generation has been in video (and computer games) for decades, and adaptive concepts/behavior is what people have been calling "AI" in gaming for just as long (e.g; "wow, the enemy AI reacts to your footprints in the snow!" from the original MGS in '98). Adaptive technology is kind of what makes video games... more or less possible, at least to the extent of having other creatures/characters/bits and bobs to interact with, and procedural generation is what makes Rogue-likes... like... well, like Rogue. These are all programming and mechanics, built to create the interactive play experience, utilizing human-made assets to fill and create and motivate the world. There's nothing wrong there (although I know procedural generation is not every gamer's cup of tea).

In short, adaptive AI is what allows standalone gaming to have interaction at all, and procedural generation allows games to enhance replayability (albeit at the expense of more curated experience). Neither take a creative job away from a somebody; even Roguelikes have level designers, after all, they're just working more on interconnecting pieces than a curated whole, and adaptive dialogue is still being written by human writers, just with an algorithm in place to determine when the situation calls for it.

Where I draw the line then, personally, is when creative work is being taken from human creatives. Artists, writers, renderers, etc... automating their work takes the human spirit out of what they are producing, and no matter how how quality the imagery/text becomes it's never going to be able to replicate that. I'm not a "wooey"-type person, either; this isn't about the intractable strength of the human soul or whatever, at least not for me. But there is something distinctly human about the art we create (visual or written), and it's that quality that computer programming will never be able to replicate.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I am not sure we have a handle on what AI (as it is, or soon will be) is really good at. That includes this that I voted as ok. For instance I voted ok for "Adaptive dialog for NPC..." but I am not sure it can do that. Not that it cannot generate a seaming realistic conversation but that it can keep that conversation consistent with the parameters of the simulated game world.
This might be a very hard problem or not and I really do not know. It is something similar with many of the other things listed.
I have no issue in principle with AI in general but I reserve the right to have issues with specific use cases.