How AI Has Already Revolutionised the Online Gaming Industry

Artificial Intelligence already influences many parts of modern life. Simple formulas and complex AI systems work away without us even knowing. That is already the case in video gaming and has been for decades.

Game developers have used artificial intelligence in numerous ways since the advent of this technology. Pathfinding is used to find a way from Point A and Point B like the ghosts in Pac-Man. Finite State Machines transform those same ghosts from chasers to fleers in-game. These basic principles have been around for almost as long as video games have existed but there are many more modern ways the industry uses AI.

Things have matured and been refined over the years. Now, games have countless AI processes and programmes built in. Procedural Generation has been popularised in recent years by the title No Man's Sky. In the fantasy space title, entire planets are generated on the fly using AI ready for players to explore.

This is being taken to the next level. That same fundamental idea of procedural generation is being used to generate an entire game from scratch. Similarly, Nvidia demonstrated how the technology could be used to generate graphics in the future. A 2018 video showcased entire city blocks that had been generated using AI rendering.

AI in gaming has also been used to humble the best in the world. In 1997, the IBM Deep Blue chess computer shocked the world by beating one of the best players on the planet. Just 20 years later and Libratus, an AI robot beat some of the world's best poker players.

But there are still some issues. Very often, these games are strictly for research purposes. The clear and obvious goal is a lot easier to achieve in a research environment so retail and big-budget games tend to stay away. They instead look to use the technology in other ways. At its core, AI can analyse and make use of large amounts of data. This can be used in a broader sense to improve the general experience for the user.

Take the online casino industry. Players' user data can be analysed and collected using AI to make the experience more enjoyable. A user could enjoy a game like Gladiator Slots from Playtech so AI could ensure that similar games are recommended in the future.

AI is already widely used in customer service. If an online gamer has an issue to report then they will often head for a live chat service. Many issues can be solved with some simple troubleshooting and an AI programme can easily guide users through the process. If things are trickier then the AI can automatically connect the user with someone better qualified.

But there are still so many things left to do. We've barely scratched the surface of AI and games like No Man's Sky prove that. Very often, the bigger and more expensive video game titles have stayed away from the technology. AI is risky and takes control away from the developers in charge of the big-budget titles. The onus may be on the independent studios with time for curiosity to reach the next great advancements in AI in gaming.