gaming

Executives push AI 'neo‑NPCs' but early game implementations fall short

Industry leaders and startups are promoting generative AI to create 'neo‑NPCs' with infinite dialogue to cut costs and personalise open‑world games. Companies involved include Saber Interactive, Ubisoft, Convai and Meaning Machine; prototypes and early in‑game examples such as Seed and Inzoi show impressive tech demos but underwhelm in actual play. This matters because relying on generative AI for storytelling risks producing shallow, toy‑like interactions and could lower narrative quality in future games.

• Saber Interactive's CEO has publicly advocated using generative AI dialogue to improve videogames.
• Ubisoft pitches fully personalised, immersive neo‑NPCs; Convai wants to replace repetitive background lines; Meaning Machine develops reactive battle banter and AI‑driven narrative systems.
• Standalone demos of AI dialogue have impressed, but implementations in games like Seed and Inzoi produced middling results in practice.
• Player engagement often stems from exploiting AI quirks (for example, tricking NPCs into believing improbable things), highlighting that current AI interactions behave more like toys than robust storytelling tools.