The Reality of Red Dead Redemption 2’s AI (Part 2)
In last week’s article, we took a trip into the fascinating world of Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2), where non-player characters (NPCs) have highly complex daily routines and behaviours (if you can’t remember the depressing life of Joe the NPC construction worker, passed out drinking whisky after a day spent aimlessly hammering nails, here’s a reminder). We’ve reached a point where a team of skilled AI engineers with the right resources can build synthetic worlds so believable that players can lose themselves in them for hundreds of hours. The combination of advanced behavioural AI and incredibly stunning graphics will have an undeniably potent impact, not only in games, but also in other market verticals.
In this week’s article I’ll tap into behavioural AI’s impact in other markets, and theorise how the level of AI in RDR2 can radically change the value of our experiences, be they virtual or real.
Metaverse to the max
The implementation of the metaverse started back in 2003 with Second Life. This is a 3D simulation where players can choose an avatar and hang out with their friends, directly from their browser. If you feel like exercising, you can go to a virtual gym. If you’d like to enjoy a romantic getaway with your virtual partner, you can hop on a bus and kick back on a wonderful Caribbean beach while sunbathing. Once you’re tired of the fierce sun, you can teleport to a lush rainforest and take a refreshing virtual walk.
Other companies like Rec Room, Altspace VR and VRChat are currently extending the metaverse, by building immersive worlds in virtual reality (VR). All of these synthetic worlds rely on multiplayer. They set the stage for the action to unfold. The action itself, however, springs from the interactions among the users. It’s great to be in a VRChat room when loads of people are debating the validity of the Big Bang. But when everyone leaves, so does the fun.
Imagine populating the metaverse with complex NPCs who can perform complex behaviours. They intelligently interact with your avatar, asking you questions or hanging out with you. NPCs would blend with the human-controlled avatars and enhance the experience provided by the virtual simulation. With these intelligent agents, Altspace VR, VRChat and Project Sansar would cease being mere action containers. Rather, they would provide a basic layer of interesting actions that would increase players’ engagement. Ultimately, by integrating advanced NPCs the metaverse will become similar to Westworld — an environment where lively AI agents interact with humans. Just don’t tell Dolores from VRChat that she’s an AI agent.
Take (health)care of me
Virtual simulations have already been successfully used to help people with neurological diseases like dementia. For example, LookBack VR offers immersive content and 360 video experiences which are tailored to the age group of the patient. Users can choose to spend time on the beach in Brighton during the 80s and then re-visit the Colosseum in Rome, reawakening childhood memories. These powerful tools leverage reminiscence therapy to benefit the patient.
These already powerful tools could be amplified by creating a fully immersive virtual world with believable characters, by leveraging advanced behavioural AI. Patients could follow the routines of NPCs on the Brighton Beach, and engage with them while they argue vehemently about the new privatisation reforms brought in by Margaret Thatcher. Such a deep simulation would enhance the engagement of the patients and result in a better therapeutic experience.
The benefit of using believable NPCs in simulations isn’t limited to fighting dementia. Consider people stuck in a hospital bed, recovering from surgery for example. They could be connected to a virtual world where intelligent agents can help them re-train both physical and cognitive skills in an engaging way.
Alexa, tell me a story
Perhaps the most imminent, human-like AI innovation worth shouting about (hur hur) is the voice (or virtual) assistant. According to a study by Ovum, the “native digital assistant installed base” is expected to exceed the world’s population by 2021. Employing speech recognition to identify our voices, these everyday tools can already fulfil a range of personalised digital tasks utilising the internet. Whether performing searches, organising your calendar or singing you a song, they probably already know everything about you. Not only is Alexa ‘always listening’, thereby familiarising itself with your voice, but it also receives access to whichever personal information you share with her.
The ability to build the incredibly credible, virtual world we explored in RDR2 has a direct connection to virtual assistants. As of now, Alexa is a fairly primitive version of behavioural AI. She can only react when prompted with questions. She doesn’t have beliefs or values. She lacks a real personality. In this sense, she feels less human than the random secondary character in RDR2 (Joe, the NPC construction worker, once again), as she doesn’t have a (personal) purpose. Imagine adding values, beliefs, routines and quirks to Alexa. She may stop being ‘only an assistant’ and become a companion, a best friend or perhaps more (as in Her).
Training me softly
Many companies and public institutions are already using virtual simulations to train their employees. Firefighters can dive into VR rescue scenarios to practice extinguishing, so that they take the appropriate strategic decisions for successful intervention infield. Production line workers can train in virtual factories to learn the risks and routines of their day-to-day work. Virtual training is a quick and efficient way to teach workers new skills in a safe environment.
However, there are certain jobs that require interpersonal skills and can be carried out only by interacting with other people. Social workers, for example, act as interfaces among several stakeholders such as families, individuals and government offices. Negotiators should find solutions to problematic situations, ensuring that the hostages of a bank robbery can all return home safely. In a mundane, everyday shopping experience, assistants should provide a pleasant experience to customers.
For these types of jobs, virtual training is problematic. The virtual training environment should be filled with agents that can interact with the trainee and take credible actions, based on their set of beliefs and mental states. Integrating believable NPCs in the training environment would be game changing for social professions. Negotiators, for example, could try different techniques to see the effect they may have on different types of offenders. All of this occurs in a safe environment, without the risk of real people getting killed.
Brand power
Brands are investing a lot of money to create engaging experiences for their followers. By building branded virtual worlds filled with believable AI agents, brands would win on two fronts. They would provide maximum engagement to their customers, while increasing their brand awareness. Imagine a Disney-themed virtual world for example. You could meet up with Mickey Mouse at the Cinderella Castle to hang out, then dance with Pluto, and find yourself at the bar complaining about the last drop in the stock market with Scrooge McDuck. Wouldn’t this be amazing? If you’re not a Disney fan, perhaps you may enjoy a Red Bull virtual simulation, where you can get to talk with extreme AI athletes and follow them in a few crazy stunts from the safety of your sofa.
Final thoughts
The advancements in behavioural AI introduced by RDR2 will have a major impact on several industries. This won’t be the first time that technology built for games will be repurposed in other fields — does the connection between games, GPUs and deep learning sound familiar?
Humans are social creatures that love to be immersed in compelling storytelling. We look for purpose and follow routines determined by our emotional and social experiences. With RDR2, virtual simulations have become so sophisticated that they’re now filled with AI agents that appear to have a certain level of purpose. This is the basis for believable decision making, and the first ingredient for credible storytelling. Such advanced virtual worlds can be leveraged to improve the way we entertain ourselves, take care of the mentally and physically ill, train workers and reach out to our favourite brands.
