NVIDIA's generative AI meets video games: Here's what happened next
What's the story
Before NVIDIA's graphic processing units (GPUs) powered the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, they were behind the video game boom.
With its focus now on AI, the company has decided to bring both worlds together.
At the Computex 2023 event in Taipei, NVIDIA showcased what happens when generative AI meets video games.
The result is interesting, to say the least.
Context
Why does this story matter?
From computing to business to art, generative AI has made its presence felt in almost every field. Gaming, on the other hand, has been slow in warming up to the advances of AI.
NVIDIA aims to change that. The move is a testament to the growing focus of the company on AI.
After all, AI is driving its growth toward a $1 trillion valuation.
Demo
NVIDIA demonstrated how game characters could respond to natural speech
At Computex, NVIDIA presented a demo of a cyberpunk ramen shop where you can engage in a conversation with the proprietor.
The proprietor is capable of reacting to natural speech. Do you know what that means?
You can simply press a button and communicate with the character in your own voice. Courtesy of generative AI, it will answer your questions.
How
NVIDIA to use ACE suite to power AI-generated conversations
NVIDIA is bringing generative AI to games with the help of ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine), a new platform that lets developers use AI to power conversations.
The platform includes the NeMo framework for deploying large language models. It is a full AI system that can also generate animations.
ACE allows characters to have detailed backstory that forms the basis of their responses.
Quality
Quality of conversation was substandard
However, the quality of the conversation in the demo was substandard at best. That is mainly because we have seen AI-generated conversations with more substance.
In fact, the demo's graphics outshined generative AI. Nevertheless, AI seems to be the future of gaming.
For instance, companies like Ubisoft are leveraging AI to generate conversations. NVIDIA's technology is only going to get better over time.
Issues
Generative AI in games brings new issues to forefront
Using generative AI in video games brings some new issues to the forefront. For instance, if the dialogue is bad in a game, whom do we blame - developers or AI?
Or, what happens when AI falls into the inevitable rabbit hole of hallucinations? If the characters become unhinged because of AI, what next?
We will find out answers to these questions soon.