Artificial intelligence already influences many parts of modern life. Simple formulas and complex AI systems work without us even knowing it. This is already the case with video games and has been for decades.
Game developers have used forms of “artificial intelligence” in many ways since the advent of this technology. Pathfinding it is used to find a way from point A and point B like the ghosts in Pac-Man. Finite state machines transform the ghosts themselves from chasers to fugitives in the game. These basic principles have been around for almost as long as video games have existed, but there are many more modern ways the industry uses AI.
Things have matured and refined over the years. Now, games have countless built-in AI processes and programs. Penasate one-handed online by Texas Hold'Em. Do you have a faint idea of how many variables the distribution of cards can include, the behavior of a "virtual" player in relation to that of real players (and other virtual players, too!).
And it's just a line of development. Who knows, for example, the game No Man's Sky . In the fantasy space title, entire planets are generated on the fly using AI, ready for players to explore. This is taken to the next level. The same fundamental idea of procedural generation is used to generate an entire game from scratch. Likewise, Nvidia demonstrated how the technology could be used to generate graphics in the future. A video from 2018 showed entire city blocks that had been generated using AI rendering.
Artificial intelligence in games has also been used to humiliate the best in the world. In 1997, the IBM Deep Blue chess computer shocked the world by beating one of the best players on the planet. Just 20 years later and Libratus, an AI robot has beaten some of the best poker players in the world.
But there are still some problems
Most often, these games are strictly for research purposes. The clear and obvious goal is much easier to achieve in a quest environment, so retail and big budget games tend to stay away. Instead, they try to use the technology in other ways. In essence, AI can analyze and use large amounts of data. This can be used in a broader sense to improve the overall experience for the user.
Take the online casino industry. Player user data can be analyzed and collected using AI to make the experience more enjoyable. A user could have fun with the possible poker combinations trying to bring out incongruent behavior in the artificial intelligence. A distraction, an error of judgment. In short: a sign of humanity.
