CD Projekt RED (CDPR) has also experimented with generative AI (content creation), but according to the Polish studio, there's still a long way to go before AI NPCs become characters as good as the ones you write.
Several companies are currently experimenting with AI-powered non-playable characters (NPCs). For example, Ubisoft's presentation at the Game Developers Conference demonstrated “Neo NPCs” and their potential in game design. The French publisher was bold enough to claim that this technology could change the way players interact with them.
Despite this, Cyberpunk 2077 quest designer Pawel Sasko (who also created many of the game's memorable NPCs) doesn't think this technology can be put to good use in a short time. Sasco gave a statement about this matter to Aftermath. He admitted that CDPR has also done research and development work in the field of artificial intelligence. He didn't go into a lot of detail about what exactly the developers did, but Sasko spoke in a particularly skeptical tone about NPCs being “generated” by generative AI.
“I can definitely see how this could be used to create more engagement, but when it comes to writing and voice acting, we still have a very long way to go. I've seen a lot of things behind the scenes. There's a clear gap between authored content (content unique and customized created by the writers, mission designers and cinematographers themselves) and something that AI can offer,” and according to him, this is not a small gap. According to him, there is a kind of valley that still needs to be bridged.
This is true, but we must not forget that the technology is quite new, and in the next few years there may be an exceptionally large development. According to Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, artificial intelligence will be able to create full-fledged games within ten years. The question is whether they dare to ask 70/80 euros (28-32 thousand forints) for them as well.
source: PCGamer, After the disaster
