NetEase Is Adding ChatGPT-Like AI In An Upcoming Game

Artificial Intelligence has become a major topic in 2023, following the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Midjourney. Some have wondered how will the video game industry be influenced by these advanced language learning models. We might just have a first look at how AI could transform gaming. 

A Chinese video game developer is planning to introduce a ChatGPT-like AI in its upcoming game Justice Online. The mobile MMO will include dialogue options in NPCs that are generated by an AI. This would be a first in gaming.

These AI-generated dialogues are then brought to life through an AI-generated voice. The voices as revealed in demos are somewhat mechanical, however, newer AIs have been able to replicate voices with great accuracy.

Niko Partners Asia and MENA gaming analyst Daniel Ahmad wrote about the system on Twitter, noting that the AI and its chat options could have an impact on the direction of the game.

With Generative AI being all over the headlines these days, NetEase says it'll launch launch the first game version of ChatGPT in Justice Online Mobile, its upcoming MMO title.

It'll allow players to chat with NPCs and have them react in unique ways that impact the game. pic.twitter.com/JBiFy3J5dV

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 16, 2023

The company revealed a demo of the AI technology on Billi Billi. According to playtesters, NPCs have the ability to freely interact and talk to players and give logical feedback based on past interactions. This is a huge step ahead of scripted dialogue. 

This AI is also planned to be able to generate quests, and it could enable AI to have dynamic memories, as in NPC could remember what you have said to them in the past, and have dynamic interactions with players based on previous dialogue.

These dynamic AI-powered NPCs could change how players interact with RPG games. While RPGs like The Witcher, Elden Ring, and Mass Effect have various endings, they are still somewhat linear in each path. Dialogue is still routine. With AI, different endings and paths players take could be much more varied.

Daniel Ahmad gives the example of a character telling the AI NPC that their house is on fire, and they would run home to check.  

NetEase is no stranger to using AI in gaming. In the past, the company has introduced AI in its games, such as using AI to create video game avatars using a selfie. 

While AI technology has become impressive in recent years, some are worried about the ethics of the use of these advanced AIs in media. Newer AI technology is able to perfectly replicate the voice of a person the model is trained on. Using an actor’s voice to power a chat generate AI could raise some concerns about voice actors. 

Disney is famous for using AI de-aging technology in its shows and movies. Some movies have used AI and CGI to bring dead actors back to life.

Actor Keanu Reeves has been outspoken about AI and deep fake technology, saying that actors can “lose your agency” and that AI has “none of your points of view”. These ethical concerns can be translated to video games, where voice acting is a major component. 

AI has the ability to transform how players interact with NPCs in games, creating more dynamic worlds through NPCs and environments that have a “memory” powered by artificial intelligence. How this is implemented by studios will vary.

A studio, for example, might use AI-generated dialogue to implement an infinite number of unique quests. 

(You could already imagine the potential for a slogfest of AI-generated quests in open-world Ubisoft games).

In an earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about the use case of AI in video games. Responding stating that an AI will never make a video game from scratch, but that “AI-based assistants would allow game developers to be more efficient and creative in what they do.”

Other studios like EA and Activision are exploring the implementation of new AI technologies in their games. 

AI has been used in video games for decades usually for technical cases. However Chat-GPT like AI would be a first for the gaming industry. This is only the beginning, and it will be interesting to see how these AI programs will change the industry.