Enhancing Gaming with Generative AI
In an ever-evolving landscape, the gaming industry has been at the forefront of technological innovation and transformation, with rapidly emerging and changing trends. By 2027, an astonishing 2.3 billion people are projected to engage in mobile gaming, surpassing the combined numbers of console and PC gamers.
The games industry is a driving force for technological innovation, unleashing human imagination through cutting-edge advancements. Game developers create experiences that captivate and inspire over 3 billion players worldwide (Newzoo). From the latest AAA titles to mobile games, the games industry is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
In this blog, we delve into the exciting world where artificial intelligence and gaming converge, exploring how Generative AI is revolutionising game development and player experiences.
Generative AI in Gaming
When exploring how Generative AI can be used in the gaming industry, use cases can be split into two main areas. The first is Generative AI which will be used by developers in the gaming industry to accelerate and innovate the process of game creation. The second is for the players to improve, and potentially revolutionise, their gaming experience to make gaming more fun and accessible.
GenAI will help those who work in the Industry
With the ability to augment and scale game development teams, Generative AI is empowering developers to craft richer gaming experiences at a pace that was previously unattainable. Serving as powerful coding assistants, GenAI models can help streamline the technical aspects of game creation, enabling teams to focus more on creative and impactful aspects, such as developing and improving new missions or working on new features to be added to games.
It’s important to note that while GenAI can aid creative teams, it’s not a replacement for skilled designers and creators. The true winners in the evolving landscape of game development will be those who seamlessly integrate Generative AI into their creative processes, leveraging its power to amplify their artistic visions and deliver unparalleled gaming experiences for their players.
GenAI will provide new innovative adventures for players
Generative AI is also enabling a completely new era of gameplay within the gaming industry. It’s not just a tool for developers; it’s becoming an integral part of the player experience.
GenAI is unlocking gaming experiences that were previously unimaginable. One example of this is the metaverse gaming platform, HiberWorld, where users will soon be able to create entirely new worlds by simply typing a description of what they are imagining using natural language. (Find out more in our latest customer success story).
“As development teams integrate GenAI into their production process, some have begun integrating it into the game itself. This has the potential of revolutionizing player experiences, with GenAI running in real-time as the game is played.” Jack Buser, Director of Game Industry Solutions, Google Cloud
In the future, GenAI in gaming could be taken a step further, where players can engage with in-game scenarios that adapt to their choices and interact with non-playable characters (NPCs) in a way that feels like they are holding a real conversation. This could be used during tutorials to help users when they first start playing a new game, later on, to assist with difficult missions or levels, or simply to enhance player experience with more interactive NPCs.
What about Intellectual Property?
The Challenge
Incorporating Generative AI into the gaming industry comes with its share of challenges, notably the concern that developers have regarding their valuable data and intellectual property. Game development studios invest significant resources in creating and curating data, and some fear that this data could be misused or exploited if it falls into the wrong hands.
Additionally, there’s worry about the unauthorised usage of copyrighted assets, textures, and artwork. Game companies and artists put in effort to develop unique content, and they are rightfully cautious about any potential accidental infringement by AI on their intellectual property.
The Solution
Despite these concerns, the required infrastructure and tools have emerged to address these issues. One such solution is exemplified by Hiber, a gaming platform that uses Generative AI to enable its users to create new 3D assets and worlds. Hiber takes a proactive approach by creating its own graphics, objects, and textures in-house and fine-tuning its Large Language Model to its asset library, ensuring that external copyrighted or proprietary materials are not at risk of being generated by its users. The model only uses assets that have already been created and approved.
Moreover, Hiber’s integration with Google’s Generative AI tooling allows for private, secure content generation. This means that the generated content that makes use of the asset library will not reappear elsewhere without explicit consent, removing any fears of businesses worried about their assets being used without permission, such as with open-source LLMs. Hiber’s approach not only embraces the potential of Generative AI but also prioritises data security and intellectual property protection, paving the way for a more secure and innovative future in the gaming industry.
Conclusion
As the gaming industry explores the potential of Generative AI and the infrastructure and governance improve, it seems that developers who use Generative AI to accelerate game production and provide innovative new experiences will be the ones to succeed in this competitive industry.
Need help finding where to start? Request a free two-hour Art of the Possible workshop to explore how GenAI can transform customer experiences, unlock new revenue streams, and increase efficiency.
