AI Takes Gaming to a Whole Different Level

Chess-Playing AI

Gaming concepts have inspired artificial intelligence since Alan Turing tested his ideas on a chess-playing AI in 1950. Turing's findings were ground-breaking then, eventually leading to the term and technology called "Artificial Intelligence." The chess-playing AI he created could learn from past experiences and find solutions to problems quickly.

However, advanced stored programming and computer engineering are needed to calculate the next best move. Eventually, as Turing predicted about 50 years ago, an AI called the "Deep Blue" was able to beat the world champion of chess, Gary Kasparov, in 1997. Of course, this was not the first time AI beat any human in a game since the early tic-tac-toe game Bertie the Brain or the famous Atari. Although AI didn't compete with a game's best certified human player then, Deep Blue's victory over Kasparov proved AI's outstanding capabilities in making decisions and game-playing.

AI-Assisted Gaming

As the gaming industry has developed rapidly since then (estimated to be worth $321 billion by 2026), AI-assisted gaming has become much more complex and exciting than the good old chess program Turing built. The computer-controlled opponents have become so responsive and intelligent that you can easily mistake them for real humans.

While AI's evolution in video games offers gamers a much more realistic experience, SONY AI partnered with PlayStation developers to enhance AI with "reinforcement learning." Reinforcement learning is a field of research in machine learning projects where AI teaches itself how to act through experimentation.

With the emergence of open-world games in giant maps where hundreds of characters interact with each other, AI will learn exponentially through trial and error. In this case, we can see AI taking revenge on you for mistreating an ally or acknowledging a favor you made and becoming a friend. As a result, the game-playing experience is becoming much more intense. The non-player-controlled (NPC) characters will have real stories and memories behind them. To an extent, they will feel and think. Or at least we will be convinced that they do. 

Big tech giants such as Electronic Arts have been working on replicating facial expressions and body movements from real-life examples to enhance the gaming experience. Meanwhile, Microsoft studies machine learning projects to develop reinforcement learning in AI while revising ethical considerations regarding AI–human interrelations.

Ubisoft has announced their new cloud-gaming platform, "Scalar," where millions can play in a virtual world without needing advanced game-playing hardware (display card, processor, etc.). Metaverse, on the other hand, focuses on creating a virtual world similar to the real one, including property rights, where investors buy virtual land with real money. Undoubtedly, these developments in the digital ecosystem will gain much more meaning with advancements in AI-assisted gaming. 

Since Turing's chess-playing AI program in 1950, AI and gaming have continued to feed each other and have a symbiotic relationship. The rapidly growing gaming industry and its financial power have become an accelerating factor in the development of AI technologies. Gamers enjoy this symbiotic relationship firsthand and help grow the industry and AI. Undoubtedly, the already mainstream gaming community will reach a much greater number of people shortly. 

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