Microsoft adopt Inworld AI tech behind blocked GTA5 mod to "enrich" videogame narrative and character creators

rockpapershotgun.com:

Much like Weyland-Yutani linking arms with Skynet, Microsoft have teamed up with Inworld to bring the latter's "generative AI" tools to Xbox studios. This "multi-year co-development partnership" will "build a powerful toolkit that harnesses artificial intelligence to enrich the narrative and character creation elements of game development", according to Inworld CEO Ilya Gelfenbeyn. You might recognise Inworld as the tech used by that GTA 5 mod about AI cultists in which characters speak AI-generated dialogue, which Rockstar blocked from distribution over the summer. Suffice to say that Microsoft have grander plans for it.

Gelfenbeyn's announcement post (thanks Eurogamer) specifies two particular WIP tools, an "AI design copilot that assists and empowers game designers to explore more creative ideas, turning prompts into detailed scripts, dialogue trees, quests and more", and an "AI character runtime engine that can be integrated into the game client, enabling entirely new narratives with dynamically-generated stories, quests, and dialogue for players to experience."

Of the "copilot", the blog notes that it could "reduce the time and resource constraints during production to not only ship faster, but to also craft more expansive and immersive worlds and stories". It'll apparently "take the seeds of these creative ideas and transform them into detailed scripts complete with dialogue trees, quests, and more." The copilot is in closed beta right now and they'll be sharing more on 17th November, at the G-Star Korea trade show in Busan.

As for the "AI character runtime engine", it'll apply to expressions, dialogue and gestures, and will supposedly help games shift from "a scripted player-character dynamic to one that