Latest news with #GameDevelopersConference
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
The unnerving future of AI-fuelled video games
SAN FRANCISCO: It sounds like a thought experiment conjured by René Descartes for the 21st century. The citizens of a simulated city inside a video game based on The Matrix franchise were being awakened to a grim reality. Everything was fake, a player told them through a microphone, and they were simply lines of code meant to embellish a virtual world. Empowered by generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, the characters responded in panicked disbelief. 'What does that mean,' said one woman in a gray sweater. 'Am I real or not?' The unnerving demo, released two years ago by an Australian tech company named Replica Studios, showed both the potential power and the consequences of enhancing gameplay with artificial intelligence. The risk goes far beyond unsettling scenes inside a virtual world. As video game studios become more comfortable with outsourcing the jobs of voice actors, writers and others to artificial intelligence, what will become of the industry? At the pace the technology is improving, large tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are counting on their AI programs to revolutionise how games are made within the next few years. 'Everybody is trying to race toward AGI,' said tech founder Kylan Gibbs, using an acronym for artificial generalised intelligence, which describes the turning point at which computers have the same cognitive abilities as humans. 'There's this belief that once you do, you'll basically monopolise all other industries.' In the earliest months after the rollout of ChatGPT in 2022, the conversation about artificial intelligence's role in gaming was largely about how it could help studios quickly generate concept art or write basic dialogue. Its applications have accelerated quickly. This spring at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, thousands of eager professionals looking for employment opportunities were greeted with an eerie glimpse into the future of video games. Engineers from Google DeepMind, an artificial intelligence laboratory, lectured on a new program that might eventually replace human play testers with 'autonomous agents' that can run through early builds of a game and discover glitches. Microsoft developers hosted a demonstration of adaptive gameplay with an example of how artificial intelligence could study a short video and immediately generate level design and animations that would otherwise have taken hundreds of hours to produce. And executives behind the online gaming platform Roblox introduced Cube 3D, a generative AI model that could produce functional objects and environments from text descriptions in a matter of seconds. These were not the solutions that developers were hoping to see after several years of extensive layoffs; another round of cuts in Microsoft's gaming division this month was a signal to some analysts that the company was shifting resources to artificial intelligence. Studios have suffered as expectations for hyperrealistic graphics turned even their bestselling games into financial losses. And some observers are worried that investing in AI programs with hopes of cutting overhead costs might actually be an expensive distraction from the industry's efficiency problems. Most experts acknowledge that a takeover by artificial intelligence is coming for the video game industry within the next five years, and executives have already started preparing to restructure their companies in anticipation. After all, it was one of the first sectors to deploy AI programming in the 1980s, with the four ghosts who chase Pac-Man, each responding differently to the player's real-time movements. Sony did not respond to questions about the AI technology it is using for game development. Yafine Lee, a spokesperson for Microsoft, said, 'Game creators will always be the center of our overall AI efforts, and we empower our teams to decide on the use of generative AI that best supports their unique goals and vision.' A spokesperson for Nintendo said the company did not have further comment beyond what one of its leaders, Shigeru Miyamoto, told The New York Times last year: 'There is a lot of talk about AI, for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.' Over the past year, generative AI has shifted from a concept into a common tool within the industry, according to a survey released by organisers of the Game Developers Conference. A majority of respondents said their companies were using artificial intelligence, while an increasing number of developers expressed concern that it was contributing to job instability and layoffs. Not all responses were negative. Some developers praised the ability to use AI programs to complete repetitive tasks like placing barrels throughout a virtual village. Despite the impressive tech demos at the conference in late March, many developers admitted that their programs were still several years away from widespread use. 'There is a very big gap between prototypes and production,' said Gibbs, who runs Inworld AI, a tech company that builds artificial intelligence programs for consumer applications in sectors such as gaming, health and learning. He appeared on a conference panel for Microsoft, where the company showed off its adaptive gameplay model. Gibbs said large studios could face costs in the millions of dollars to upgrade their technology. Google, Microsoft and Amazon each hope to become the new backbone of the gaming sector by offering AI tools that would require studios to join their servers under expensive contracts. Artificial intelligence technology has developed so fast that it has surpassed Replica Studios, the team behind the tech demo based on the 'Matrix' franchise. Replica went out of business this year because of the pace of competition from larger companies like OpenAI. Replica's chief technology officer, Eoin McCarthy, said that at the height of the demo's popularity, users were generating more than 100,000 lines of dialogue from nonplayer characters, or NPCs, which cost the startup about $1,000 per day to maintain. The cost has fallen in recent years as the AI programs have improved, but he said that most developers were unaccustomed to these unbounded costs. There were also fears about how expensive it would be if NPCs started talking to one another. When Replica announced it was ending the demo, McCarthy said, some players grew concerned about the fate of the NPCs. ''Were they going to continue to live or would they die?'' McCarthy recalled players asking. He would reply: 'It is a technology demo. These people aren't real.' Large companies are often forgoing those moral questions in their presentations to studio executives. Nvidia has collaborated with a startup named Convai to imbue NPCs in a cyberpunk ramen shop with real-time conversations. The Verge posted video showing that Sony was using OpenAI's speech recognition system and other technologies to create a version of Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Forbidden West, that could answer player questions. Some technologists have gone even further, experimenting with AI programs that put faithful simulations of real people into games. In late 2023, researchers from Google and Stanford University partnered on the creation of generative agents, which they described as proxies of human behavior. 'Generative agents wake up, cook breakfast, and head to work; artists paint, while authors write; they form opinions, notice each other, and initiate conversations; they remember and reflect on days past as they plan the next day,' their report stated. In a virtual world inspired by The Sims, these agents developed relationships with each other, even planning a Valentine's Day celebration at a cafe. Some ethics experts have applauded the development of technology that might take some burden off acquiring human test subjects. But others have questioned the point of a technology that can only replicate a person's choices. 'Humans should be at the center of what we do,' said Celia Hodent, a specialist in user experience and cognitive science who has been developing a code of ethics in the gaming industry. 'Instead of thinking of AI as a solution for everything, having better processes might be a better starting point.' Many of the current programs that could automate game development are still prohibitively expensive to run and full of glitches. Entrepreneurs are preaching patience, saying that usable models will probably take another five years in order to improve quality and bring costs down. Gibbs said the adaptive gameplay model shown during Microsoft's conference session would probably costs hundreds or thousands of dollars an hour to run commercially. A similar program called Oasis has its own problems, he said. Because it generates content on a frame-by-frame basis, it forgets visual information not immediately present on-screen, leaving players in a constantly shifting environment. While the technology shows promise, Gibbs said, it is still an answer in search of a problem. 'How do we push the research community in a more useful direction?' he asked. 'It's a cheaper way to make games, but it is going to cost you 5,000 times more to run a game, so is it actually cheaper?' Beyond the dollar signs, ethics experts remain focused on questions of how prepared the industry is for sentient characters and levels that design themselves. Cansu Canca, the director of responsible AI practice at Northeastern University in Boston, said there would be a risk to individual agency and privacy by normalizing the technology. 'My biggest concern is not that the AI gains consciousness,' she said, 'but what it means for us to exist in a virtual environment where encounters cannot always be controlled or predicted.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Game Developers Conference Appoints Games Industry Luminary Mark DeLoura Executive Director of Innovation & Growth
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world's largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has appointed longtime GDC advisor and videogame advocate Mark DeLoura as the Executive Director of Innovation & Growth, a new leadership role to ensure GDC's strategy, programming and presence are future-facing and deeply connected to the industry it serves. Heading into its 40th edition, GDC is transforming into a Festival of Gaming, expanding its scope to represent the full game-making ecosystem and better meet the needs of the contemporary games industry. GDC 2026 will return to the Moscone Center in San Francisco next year, Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026. Mark's career has been defined by an intellectual curiosity and an exploration of the endless possibilities of game development around education, inclusion, civic engagement and the public good. In his more than three decades experience he has held such wide-ranging titles as journalist, technical director, vice president of technology, consultant, advocate and senior advisor. On the console side, Mark helped launch iconic game platforms like Nintendo 64, GameCube and PlayStation 3. He has authored programming books and served as the editor-in-chief of Game Developer Magazine, helping generations better understand game technology. Mark's history with GDC goes as far back as helping oversee the original event's transition from the Computer Game Developers Conference (1988-1999) into the inclusive, globally relevant platform now known as the Game Developers Conference, and he has served as an advisor for the event for more than 10 years. Mark's technical and academic understanding of game development culminated in his role as the Senior Advisor for Digital Media at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Obama. In his ongoing advocacy of the positive influence of gaming technology, Mark's new role as Executive Director of Innovation & Growth of GDC puts him center stage in an exciting effort to shape the next chapter of GDC. In its 40th edition, the new GDC will be a reimagined platform that reflects the entire game-making ecosystem, and Mark's vision, grounded in years of industry insight, will help to shape this broader strategy and ensure it delivers meaningful value to every corner of the community. 'Mark has been a longtime member of the GDC family,' said Nina Brown, Vice President of Gaming at Informa Festivals. 'We could not have a better leader joining to help change the game as GDC becomes an inclusive Festival of Gaming to better serve the industry we all love. He is among the rare few that have the holistic perspective of the rapidly evolving industry from the inside out.' "GDC has always been a home for people who care deeply about making games and now it's transforming into something even more ambitious!" said Mark DeLoura, GDC's Executive Director of Innovation & Growth. 'It's incredibly exciting to step into this role to ensure that GDC remains connected to the community while expanding to serve everyone who is shaping the future of games.' For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, X or BlueSky. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: About GDC The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world's largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the networking meet-up's, GDC Vault, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. GDC is organized by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information visit
Time of India
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The unnerving future of AI-fueled video games
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills It sounds like a thought experiment conjured by René Descartes for the 21st citizens of a simulated city inside a video game based on "The Matrix" franchise were being awakened to a grim reality. Everything was fake, a player told them through a microphone, and they were simply lines of code meant to embellish a virtual world. Empowered by generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, the characters responded in panicked disbelief."What does that mean," said one woman in a grey sweater. "Am I real or not?"The unnerving demo, released two years ago by an Australian tech company named Replica Studios, showed both the potential power and the consequences of enhancing gameplay with artificial intelligence. The risk goes far beyond unsettling scenes inside a virtual world. As video game studios become more comfortable with outsourcing the jobs of voice actors, writers and others to artificial intelligence, what will become of the industry?At the pace the technology is improving, large tech companies such as Google Microsoft and Amazon are counting on their AI programs to revolutionise how games are made within the next few years."Everybody is trying to race toward AGI," said tech founder Kylan Gibbs, using an acronym for artificial generalised intelligence, which describes the turning point at which computers have the same cognitive abilities as humans. "There's this belief that once you do, you'll basically monopolise all other industries."In the earliest months after the rollout of ChatGPT in 2022, the conversation about artificial intelligence's role in gaming was largely about how it could help studios quickly generate concept art or write basic applications have accelerated quickly. This spring at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, thousands of eager professionals looking for employment opportunities were greeted with an eerie glimpse into the future of video from Google DeepMind, an artificial intelligence laboratory, lectured on a new program that might eventually replace human play testers with "autonomous agents" that can run through early builds of a game and discover developers hosted a demonstration of adaptive gameplay with an example of how artificial intelligence could study a short video and immediately generate level design and animations that would otherwise have taken hundreds of hours to executives behind the online gaming platform Roblox introduced Cube 3D, a generative AI model that could produce functional objects and environments from text descriptions in a matter of were not the solutions that developers were hoping to see after several years of extensive layoffs; another round of cuts in Microsoft's gaming division this month was a signal to some analysts that the company was shifting resources to artificial have suffered as expectations for hyperrealistic graphics turned even their bestselling games into financial losses. And some observers are worried that investing in AI programs with hopes of cutting overhead costs might actually be an expensive distraction from the industry's efficiency experts acknowledge that a takeover by artificial intelligence is coming for the video game industry within the next five years, and executives have already started preparing to restructure their companies in anticipation. After all, it was one of the first sectors to deploy AI programming in the 1980s, with the four ghosts who chase Pac-Man, each responding differently to the player's real-time movements. Sony did not respond to questions about the AI technology it is using for game Lee, a spokesperson for Microsoft, said, "Game creators will always be the centre of our overall AI efforts, and we empower our teams to decide on the use of generative AI that best supports their unique goals and vision."A spokesperson for Nintendo said the company did not have further comment beyond what one of its leaders, Shigeru Miyamoto, told The New York Times last year: "There is a lot of talk about AI, for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction."Over the past year, generative AI has shifted from a concept into a common tool within the industry, according to a survey released by organisers of the Game Developers Conference. A majority of respondents said their companies were using artificial intelligence, while an increasing number of developers expressed concern that it was contributing to job instability and all responses were negative. Some developers praised the ability to use AI programs to complete repetitive tasks like placing barrels throughout a virtual the impressive tech demos at the conference in late March, many developers admitted that their programs were still several years away from widespread use."There is a very big gap between prototypes and production," said Gibbs, who runs Inworld AI, a tech company that builds artificial intelligence programs for consumer applications in sectors such as gaming, health and learning. He appeared on a conference panel for Microsoft, where the company showed off its adaptive gameplay said large studios could face costs in the millions of dollars to upgrade their technology. Google, Microsoft and Amazon each hope to become the new backbone of the gaming sector by offering AI tools that would require studios to join their servers under expensive intelligence technology has developed so fast that it has surpassed Replica Studios, the team behind the tech demo based on the "Matrix" franchise. Replica went out of business this year because of the pace of competition from larger companies like chief technology officer, Eoin McCarthy, said that at the height of the demo's popularity, users were generating more than 100,000 lines of dialogue from nonplayer characters, or NPCs , which cost the startup about $1,000 per day to cost has fallen in recent years as the AI programs have improved, but he said that most developers were unaccustomed to these unbounded costs. There were also fears about how expensive it would be if NPCs started talking to one Replica announced it was ending the demo, McCarthy said, some players grew concerned about the fate of the NPCs. "'Were they going to continue to live or would they die?'" McCarthy recalled players asking. He would reply: "It is a technology demo. These people aren't real.
San Francisco Chronicle
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s Moscone Center books giant act for venue's first-ever concert
The Moscone Center, San Francisco's largest convention and exhibition complex, has booked its first-ever concert. Home of large events like Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference, the downtown venue is set to host electronic dance music giant Fisher on Dec. 19. House music DJs Chris Lorenzo and Partiboi69 will join as supporting acts. The Australian music producer, whose full name is Paul Nicholas Fisher, announced the launch event on Instagram, sharing a carousel of photos and videos teasing the show on Friday, July 25. One clip shows a cardboard cutout of Fisher behind a turntable at the Moscone Center, zooming out to highlight the vastness of the space. A few slides later, a fan snaps a photo with the cutout, which was placed on the lawn of a San Francisco park as part of a promotional campaign. Another states 'AI doesn't know how to party' above a photo of the DJ's grinning face. Ticket presales start at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1, and general on sale begins at 2 p.m. the same day. Fisher also announced in his recent post that he is giving away 10 tickets to the show. Fans must tag three friends in the comment section to qualify, and winners will be selected next week. The producer's upcoming Moscone Center performance marks a stark change in programming for the venue, which consists of three main buildings spanning more than 2 million square feet. Fisher's concert is slated for the Moscone South building, which features roughly 260,000 square feet of exhibit space. The buildings are best known for hosting large events such as Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference and the Game Developers Conference. Fisher first rose to global fame as part of the DJ duo Cut Snake, and released his first solo single, 'Ya Kidding,' in 2017. The Grammy nominee has since released two EPs and is signed to San Francisco-based electronic music label Dirtybird. He has performed in the Bay Area on several occasions in recent years, including at San Jose City Hall in March, at last year's Portola Festival and at Outside Lands 2023.
The Verge
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
I'm dreaming of October 10th.
Posted Jul 18, 2025 at 3:23 PM UTC I'm dreaming of October 10th. That's the newly-announced release date for Dreams of Another , the trippy-looking title from Q-Games where you shoot guns to help create the world around you. I loved the brief demo I played at this year's Game Developers Conference.
