World of Warcraft Isn't Using Generative AI - Interview with IGN
In a short interview with IGN following his GDC talk on 30 Years of Warcraft, Warcraft General Manager John Hight said that while traditional AI is useful for freeing up creative developers from tedious tasks, Blizzard isn't using generative AI in World of Warcraft.
John Hight Discusses AI with IGN
The key here is generative AI, which is to say the type of artificial intelligence that use machine learning models to generate brand new data, text, or images, as opposed to traditional AI, which primarily processes, analyzes, or classifies existing data. Whereas relatively new generative AI might be used to create complex characters, art, or dialogue, traditional AI has been used for years in things like algorithms helping NPCs path around obstacles or procedurally generate environments using predefined set pieces and rules. Learn more about the evolution of gaming AI to get a better idea of the differences between these two tools and how they are used.
John Hight, via IGN
“We have used machine learning to help do things that people either can't do or it's very cumbersome to do,” he said. “The fitting of armor on characters, you see how many different characters we have. Our artists used to have to go through and they'd build it for human form and then they'd have to go and retrofit all these things for all the various body shapes and horns and big snouts and tails and all of that. That is just not particularly fun work for them. A few years ago, we said, ‘Can we use machine learning to help at least get it to a point where 90% of the work is being done for them and then they can fine tune it?’ And we went about that. It's actually worked out really well. It's allowed us to make a lot more different armor. The artists love it because it's like, ‘Oh, thank God you got rid of the grungy part of what we're doing.’”
In the interview, Hight goes on to describe similar improvements in NPC AI used in Exile's Reach and the upcoming Delve system in The War Within.
