Artificial Intelligence for Games 101 – An Introduction to AI

What is AI?

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. The general definition for Artificial Intelligence is a Machine that can interpret and possibly learn from a set of data, then use that data to adapt and achieve the goals it is set to do. An example of this used in the real world is having your phone recognise your face to unlock it by taking a photo of you then being able to compare what the camera is currently seeing to that photo, thereby knowing the person on the camera is you. Other examples would be helpers like Alexa or Cortana.

AI is a relatively new field. It was first coined by John McCarthy in 1956, during a Dartmouth Conference which he called the “Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence”.

There are two main things that have enabled AI to become more prevalent and available in the modern world: More data and more computing power. Back when they first thought about AI there was not anywhere near enough power to have an Alexa sat in their living room. In terms of Data, the rise of Social Media and the internet has enabled companies such as Facebook and Amazon to create machines that can interpret users online and feed that into a fully learning AI, though unfortunately we are still decades away from having JARVIS style helpers.

Different Styles of Learning

Supervised Learning: learning with a supervisor who knows what they are doing to be able to correct any mistakes. This is the kind of learning that is done in schools with students and teachers.

Reinforced Learning: This is a method of learning through feedback from behaviour.

Unsupervised Learning: This is a process by which you learn without labels. It is often referred to as Clustering or Grouping.

What does this mean for Games?

AI in games is used for a number of different reasons. One of the most important things for AI in games is to enhance the users experience using a variety of different methods:

1. NPC characters to make worlds feel more alive, such as the AI System used in Skyrim and Oblivion (Bethesda’s “Radiant AI” – known for amazing conversations between characters that are 100% natural) This system told the AI where to go and when to go there but gave the characters their own options of how they want to get there.
2. Create a challenge for the player if they are in an online or offline match. It is not uncommon for online matches to run low on players and if they do, the servers will place a couple of AI team mates and enemies to help the teams out. The key to doing this properly is to have the AI not be too difficult, but also not too easy. So while it may get a lot of kills, it should be easy enough for the player to get an easy shot on it while it is reloading.

What to Read Next

AI Algorithms: Djikstra’s Algorithm & A Star
AI Algorithms: Flow Fields
Finite State Machines
Navigation Meshes

References:
Russell, Stuart (1995). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Berkeley: Prentice Hall

PBS Crash Course. (2019). What Is Artificial Intelligence? Crash Course AI #1. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0_lo_GDcFw&ab_channel=CrashCourse. Last accessed 24th November 2021.

PBS Crash Course. (2019). Supervised Learning: Crash Course AI #2. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qVRBYAdLAo&ab_channel=CrashCourse. Last accessed 24th November 2021.