AI Could Make Grand Theft Auto NPCs 'Really Interesting and Fun', Says Take-Two CEO

This guy is a knob.

Npcs do get repetitive so it would be neat to see them not only have more to say but maybe react to the player. If you say something that annoys them, they (if not an important character) ignore you or try to avoid you.

While I agree there could be usefulness for AI to enhance certain functions in a game you'd never waste resources on like NPC interactions, it's still a slippery slope that I don't want to support. Unfortunately the corporate goons are just salivating at the thought to replace 90% of their workers with AI.

Wow. So lame. AI has just become a way for corporate pigs to not pay for talent and thus pocket more cash for less effort.

You can tell this is the new cost saving scheme being tossed around the board rooms as another way to charge a premium price for content that was ultimately cheaper to make and/or just less content in general(just like procedural generated, and roguelike formulas that were adopted before this).

They can spin it whichever way they want. It's clear what the intent here is.

I would love to see how AI could be integrated with RPGs games like Elder Scrolls/Fallout.

I totally understand the issues surrounding AI and jobs, but if integrated correctly I really could see it bringing a new dimension to games. Graphics are no longer a leap between generations, but these are the types of gameplay advances that can really make games feel deeper and 'next gen'

I mean GTA V had some of the best NPCs in video game history.

They were genuinely hilarious. It’s become a meme at this point with random people spouting out GTA NPC quotes.

If you have a strong writing team you can make NPCs interesting. I mean yes they aren’t very interactive and eventually the jokes repeat themselves but they are funny the first time you meet them.

I think NPC's just wondering the streets having access to way more dialogue and "unique" responses based on what you do could actually be very interesting but i sure as hell would never want actual characters voiced and scripted by an AI.

I think we should use AI to replace execs. That would be interesting. 😆

If an NPC is just saying generated filler, then I’d rather it said nothing at all, as I find stuff generated by AI to be wholly uninteresting.

Fancy auto-complete is no replacement for human scripting, and the disregard of creative talent by corporations is a race to the bottom - a race I want no part of.

The one time I agree with this guy.

Or they could do what Insomniac did with Spider-Man 2 civilians. They gave improv actors basic guidelines like "you're a babysitter in a park" and let them go off the cuff with unscripted conversations.

I'd like to see AI used in a different way. I'd use AI in the online part of this game to target those annoying little chavs that would sit outside your house in a jet and just keep killing you everytime you tried to leave. Thats pretty much what i'd use it for to be honest. Instead of using it as a way to get out of using real talented actors and avoiding having to pay them have AI work at improving your online experience as i'm sure AI would or could identify issues and rectify them or at the very least highlight issues so the devs know what to concentrate on instead of peoples wallets.

SAO tier AI? Absolutely.

Modern AI? Not nearly as much.

This is VR and cloud gaming all over again - people in a clueless hurry to monetize a tech whose capabilities and/or contextual infrastructure are still deep in their infancy.

Being able to hold a full conversation with an NPC using a headset is one of the few remaining big gaming milestones. And that day will be awesome.

@LifeGirl whilst that might be a great addition for some people its not for me. It's only a matter of time when conversing with an npc character that responds to your dialogue in an intelligent,realistic manner that sooner or later i'd right royally rub that npc up the wrong way and then that npc would target and harrass me until i'm too scared to play the game anymore. I play games to escape the wife and not bring her along for the ride 🤣

Zelnick is Bob Iger's idol

As a person who like art I'm naturally against AI. If you look at that "dead" creations AI is producing and people praise it, that is so sad...

If we look back at RDR2 level of AI, I expect nothing less than that from GTA VI. It's been 5 years too since the previous title, so they could make it miles better too.

I like classic scripted NPC interactions. The repetition makes a game have character.

But the use of AI could make for much more immersion in game worlds, and apart from the usual "f*** the execs" which is fine, and they should definitely still get f***ed, I'd be interested in seeing some more AI for NPCs behaviour just to see what is possible, expanding on how RDR2 had NPCs that would go about their day as more of a real human than in past games. They should definitely leave in some random scripted stuff too, because you don't want to kill the tone.

They should also have people record a bunch of lines with maybe more scripted "VIP NPCs" background people that have much more interesting stuff to say than the others, but aren't quest npcs or anything like that. So say 100 regular ai npcs doing normal human stuff per 5/10 VIP NPCs that are just more characterful and weird, for a city based game like GTA.

And also, pay voice actors more to start with as they are literally the only ones who can breathe real life in to your characters 👍

I think by interesting he means more varied and diverse reactions. If you look at the AI mods for the Matrix tech demo thing, the possibilities are endless. However, it would be a slippery slippery slope as it would negate the need for voice actors, writers and that can only lead to the greedy publishers exploring how else they can cut staff. As with all use cases, I don't think they should look at AI for the purpose of replacing people, but as being supplementary, hand in hand with humans as it can help you improve a lot of things, like art, writing, learning and knowledge.

Interesting... Gonna bookmark these AI articles and check back in about 5 to 10 years to see if the pro- and anti-AI people still cling to their beliefs by then. Those "What Are You Playing This Week" comments will be quite telling.

Funny how they copyright strike a YouTuber who made GTA 5 NPCs respond to whatever he says using AI and now they want to use it lol

@DennisReynolds you are going to have them voiced by ai if you want them to have the other side. There no way for a voice could record every possible thing a generative ai could generate.

@theMEGAniggle instead you get ai trainers who trained the ai to respond in ways suitable for your game. You will still need writer's for the overall story.

@Ryu_Niiyama
"so to would be need to see them not only have more to say"

Is that an AI response?

@LifeGirl It's already been done months ago, by modders. Look up "Skyrim AI mod" and "matrix demo ai npcs", on Youtube. It's pretty crazy how far this has come in such a short time.

Strauss Zelnick, Bobby Kotick, and Randy Pitchford should form like a power rangers super squad, except their super powers would include microtransactions and doing lines of coke.

@knowles2 but like your previous point, no way a writer could write so the possibilities. If they could there'd be no need for the AI

No doubt this feature will launch with the PS7 version.

There's also that other quote from Zelnick when he stated that the Game Pass model was not fit for the games industry. I guess he was spot-on.

Of course, when I refer to the "GP model" I'm considering day-one releases as the main culprit.

That actually makes me think: it's sort of a given that Microsoft could not sustain the backlash of reverting the day-one thing. Sure, early access is arguably exactly that, but I believe they'll be forced to go further. Do quote me on that one.

Pretty cringe.

I am looking forward to the to this I can get a mod and program the game to give me the gta experience I love my 80s action and 90s attitude, there isn't anything made for me today