Ubisoft’s new NPC AI has been trashed by fans

Ubisoft has announced their latest research project, an AI-powered NPC that is set to make conversations within games “more real”. However, the internet isn’t so keen.

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In a dedicated blog post, Ubisoft explained that the NEO NPC project uses generative AI technology to turn the “dream” of an actual conversation with an NPC in a video game into a reality and a prototype was shared at the Game Developers Conference 2024.

The project was also shared across social media alongside a screenshot of a conversation with an AI-powered NPC called Bloom. “Imagine proudly showing this robotic soulless nonsense off as the best example of your AI storytelling and not being embarrassed,” wrote one user with another adding: “The idea of AI creating ‘realistic’ NPCs is based on a false myth that videogames are ‘worlds’ as opposed to ‘media texts created by people to express ideas and tell stories’. Why would I want to listen to dialog nobody wrote?”

Some fans called the project soulless while others pointed out that following a wave of lay-offs, companies like Ubisoft should be investing in people. “Personally I don’t play games to talk to ‘real’ pretend-people. I play them to experience art made by other humans and see their way of making sense of this world.”

Personally I don’t play games to talk to “real” pretend-people, I play them to experience art made by other humans, see their way of making sense of this world. Games like Kentucky Route Zero, Pathologic, Disco Elysium have bits of writing that I’ll never forget

— atrophy wife 🎀 (@zuza_real) March 19, 2024

Ubisoft admitted that generative AI is a “hot topic” in video games at the moment but defended the decision. “The way we worked on this project, is always with our players and our developers in mind,” said senior vice president of production technology Guillemette Picard. “With the player in mind, we know that developers and their creativity must still drive our projects. Generative AI is only of value if it has value for them.”

The company has used narrative directors and writers to train the AI over the past 18 months, whose goal is to “impersonate” a character. “It’s important to us to reiterate that these characters do not have free will,” said narrative director Virginie Mosser. “They are there to play a role in a story. They have a narrative arc.”

Conversations with in-game characters are getting more real!

Presenting our research project, NEO NPCs, a new kind of NPC that uses generative AI to really talk to you! Discover how our team of writers and developers are coming together in this exciting experiment:… pic.twitter.com/FvvyvXWZKu

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) March 19, 2024

The AI also has filters in place to deal with toxic or offensive language, while the studio believes human voice actors, rather than AI, will be needed to build believable characters. “To have a character who is really expressive, you need an actor who is very expressive,” said data scientist Mélanie Lopez Malet.

Ubisoft went on to confirm that the AI-powered NPCs still had “some way to go” before it could be used in a game.

Speaking to NME recently, Baldur’s Gate 3 actor Samantha Béart said: “Automation has replaced so many things already, and I’m not surprised it’s coming for art. If enough people don’t mind AI, or if it’s allowed to creep in, we’re in trouble.”