The Amazing Ways AI And Machine Learning Are Used In The Gaming Industry
2 July 2021
Long before artificial intelligence was a glimmer in the eye of the financial, transportation or healthcare industries, it was being developed and tested in the gaming community. In fact, the earliest instance of artificial intelligence in games was in 1952, when a UK graduate student created an AI that could play a perfect game of tic-tac-toe. Gaming has driven a lot of the artificial intelligence innovations and served as a proving ground for constructed environments and realism tests that are applicable in other industries. Today, AI developers are figuring out ways to make machines think, learn and develop their own personalities, innovations that will not only change gameplay but will impact our everyday lives. In fact, artificial intelligence and gaming are intertwined in a symbiotic relationship.
![](/img/The Amazing Ways AI And Machine Learning Are Used In The Gaming Industry.png)
Reinforcement learning essential for adaptable games
What if a game could alter strategy or tactics based on the skill level of the player? That’s precisely the direction some gaming companies are heading. Reinforcement learning is a type of machine learning that allows the machine to learn its behaviour based on feedback from the environment. There is great potential for advanced learning in games, but it must be used carefully to avoid common problems such as mimicking stupidity, set behaviour and more.
Preserve quality player experience
With today’s accelerating pace of machine learning enhancements, the first challenges to be tackled will be in support of game development and design, but teams are also tackling more advanced concerns such as personalisation of the gaming experience based on each individual player’s behavioural data. Above all, gaming companies are trying to find that sweet spot where AI provides more realism and natural interaction between players and environments and becomes sophisticated enough to respond realistically to live input rather than scripted plots. There are also intriguing marketing applications that AI can support but only if a quality user experience is preserved.
Gaming industry as the testing ground
As Google’s AlphaGo programme proved, given enough data to analyse—in this case millions of played Go games—a machine can develop a competitive advantage by developing strategies that no human would be able to consider. But, analysing data is quite different than analysing human emotion and relations. The gaming industry is now trying to tackle how to create emotional AI that more closely resembles human relationships. This would provide a better player experience, but this technology would be beneficial outside the gaming world as well. As it has done in the past, video games can provide the “testing ground” to vet more elaborate AI so that those learning experiences can then be applied to other industries from banking, scientific research and more. The reality is video game developers spurred the innovation that powers much of the AI progress that impacts other industries.
Humans and AI, the need for both
With a recent experiment out of the Georgia Institute of Technology where AI recreated a game engine simply by watching gameplay, questions arose about the potential impact to human employment as is often the case with any example of a machine taking over a task that had historically been done by people. Researchers in this case responded that AI would “aid in development” and will help novice game developers reach levels of development that would have been out of their reach without AI assisting. Video games are made for the enjoyment of humans, and there’s only one sure-fire way to determine if a game keeps humans entertained and that’s having a human test it.
Changing the leisure industry with AI
The gaming industry is realising the monetisation opportunities when blending the gaming industry with real-world experiences such as at amusement parks on rides inspired or made to act like popular video games, movies and merchandising. There is a heightened attraction by venture capital firms to invest in AI that contributes to the gaming business and not just the gaming experience.
I will be keeping a close eye on the gaming industry to see what might be coming down the pipe in terms of AI evolution and innovation. The gaming industry has proven time and time again that that it is fertile testing ground for the technology that will ultimately impact our everyday lives.
Where to go from here
If you would like to know more about AI and machine learning, cheque out my articles on:
- WWE: Gaining New Customer Insights From Big Data
- Viacom: Using real-time analytics to improve the viewer’s experience
Or browse the Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning section or AI use case library of this site to find more articles and many practical examples.
Related Articles
The Rise of Shadow AI: How To Harness Innovation Without Compromising Security
Shadow AI, the unsanctioned use of AI tools in the workplace, is becoming a significant concern for businesses.[...]
Why Your Company Urgently Needs An AI Policy: Protect And Propel Your Business
The AI revolution is well underway, and I believe just about any business or organization can benefit by automating routine tasks, augmenting decision-making and optimizing operations and processes.[...]
17 Generative AI Data Analytics Tools Everyone Should Know About
Thanks to generative AI, we’re getting close to the promise of truly “democratizing” data. This means anyone can make decisions that are data-driven, not just highly skilled data scientists.[...]
AI In Healthcare: Revolutionizing Medicine Or Overhyped Promise?
AI is going to change healthcare forever. In the near future, we can look forward to revolutionary new cures and treatments. personalized medicine, and a new generation of hospitals and facilities where super-smart robots take care of everything from cleaning to brain surgery.[...]
5 Common Generative AI Misconceptions
Two years ago most people hadn’t heard of generative AI, but now it’s everywhere.[...]
The Essential AI-Ready Skills Everyone Needs For Tomorrow’s Jobs
Thanks to AI, work will look very different in the near future than it does today.[...]
Sign up to Stay in Touch!
Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity.
He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations.
He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.
Bernard’s latest book is ‘Generative AI in Practice’.
Social Media