How Roblox is Using AI to Create Its Own Holodeck

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Although perceived by many as “that thing for kids with the chunky characters,” in the 17 years since Roblox first launched in September 2006 it has evolved into a sophisticated 3D game creation platform with 60 million daily users. There are more than 40 million different player experiences within Roblox right now, ranging in complexity from simple chat rooms to Call of Duty-style first person shooters. Alongside the work Epic is doing with both Fortnite and Unreal Engine 5, Roblox is largely responsible for setting expectations around what’s possible with the much-fabled “metaverse” and has kickstarted the careers of thousands upon thousands of aspiring game makers.

The underlying technology of Roblox has been steadily evolving since the day it was launched. The tools it provides range from simple graphical editors to a full-blown scripting language that allows creators to build virtually anything they can imagine. Powering all of that is a complex set of tools that now includes a growing number of AI-powered systems that make things simpler than ever to create and share ideas.

Roblox’ chief science officer, Morgan McGuire, has led the company’s research into AI since he joined in 2021. Previously he was director of research at Nvidia where he led work exploring the possibilities of augmented and virtual reality as well as its cloud-based “Hyperscale” graphics system. Prior to that, he was the professor of computer science at Williams College in Williamstown, MA while also consulting for game engine company Unity Technologies, and others.

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