At GDC, Ubisoft presents the use of generative AI for its NEO NPCs, non-playable characters generated by Artificial Intelligence who will be able to have real conversations.
The Generative AI It has more uses apart from the controversial images, texts or videos generated automatically by Artificial Intelligence from commands. One of the most intriguing is the use of generative AI (GenIA) for NPCs: non-playable characters interact personally with the player, reacting in real time to what the player says or does.
Companies like Take-Two have tested this possibility (it is speculated that it could be seen in GTA 6) but, again, Ubisoft is one of the first to dare to invest in this experimental field, announcing “NEO NPCs” in the current edition of the GDC.
Ubisoft has taken advantage of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco to present a project that at the moment has no application in any of its games, but that could lay the foundation for the video games of the future.
In a closed-door demo, Ubisoft used a speech to text system for players to talk directly to the NEO NPCs.
They recognize players' intentions, adapt emotionally, and can react in real time based on the conversation, which can lead to unlocking new story elements or generating new missions on the fly.
NEO NPCs also have a situational awareness which gives them a deep knowledge of their environment, allowing them to react dynamically to the points of interest (POI) in the game. They can share ideas, ask questions, plan actions, or offer players the opportunity to influence their decisions.
Ubisoft's NEO NPCs
The project “centers the player experience around creativity and narrative, exploring the use of generative AI as a core gameplay feature that creates intelligent, deeply interactive and engaging characters.”
This means that these NPCs will be able to show emotions and animation in real timememory, knowledge of their environment, collective decision making, and most strikingly, unscripted dialogue (which in the GDC demo was done with a speech-to-text tool, so you literally “talked” to the AI, something that may not be as easy to implement in a video game like Assassin's Creed or Far Cry).
But in theory this allows each conversation between player and NPC to be unique, responding to both the player's own actions and character as well as those of the NPC, resulting in “immersive and completely personalized experiences.”
All this comes from an R&D initiative led by a team of Ubisoft Paris in collaboration with Ubisoft's Production Technology department, in collaboration with generative AI technology partners, Nvidia and Inworld AI.
“Generative AI offers unprecedented creative opportunities to our teams and players,” said Guillemette Picard, Senior Vice President of Production Technology at Ubisoft.
“The moment they see the value it has to them, we start to see its real potential to change the way games are developed and played.”