Ubisoft Helps Out Its Writers by Implementing AI Tech to Do Their Job for Them | Push Square

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Ubisoft is a publisher unafraid of tackling new technology head-on. The company is always supportive of new platform launches, and seems willing to embrace cutting edge tech where possible — even the questionable stuff. It's already attempted to implement NFTs in its games with the Ubisoft Quartz initiative, which went about as well as you'd expect. Now, the publisher has proudly announced it's using AI to help write its games.

As explained in the above video, Ubisoft Ghostwriter is an AI-driven tool that allows writers to generate lines of dialogue based on prompts, which can then be edited or adjusted in various ways. The idea is that dev teams can utilise this functionality to create «barks» — those throwaway NPC lines you hear while running around open worlds — so that writers can instead put more focus on the main story and characters.

It sounds like a reasonable use of the technology, but it's already been heavily criticised. Some industry figures have argued that managing and editing AI-generated dialogue would be more time-consuming than just writing something themselves. It also naturally leads to concerns that this is just the beginning; what if, eventually, Ubisoft evolves this Ghostwriter program to replace some (or all) of its human writers?

We don't want to get too tin foil hat about this, but it's not a hugely encouraging development. What do you think of all this? Generate some thoughts yourself in the comments section below.

Having grown up alongside PlayStation, Stephen has developed an eclectic taste in video games and a wide knowledge of the medium, from small indie gems to the biggest AAA blockbusters. Ever hopeful that the Burnout series makes a miraculous return.