Of course, AI in gaming is far from a recent innovation. The concept of a one player chess game involving a human player versus a computer, was first born from the ponderings of mathematician and cryptographer Claude Shannon, way back in the mid-20^th century.

Indeed, gaming has always been a key driving force behind AI. Some would even say that video game AI is changing the world. Presently, this technology is the foundation of virtual experiences. That being said, more specifically, the following are 3 ingenious ways in which artificial intelligence is currently being utilized in the gaming industry:

1. Game Development – Beyond Human Imagination

Today’s AI technology is evolving beyond the typical game-generating algorithms that are generally focused on creating terrain and other simple game art. Now, in order for game developers to be cutting edge, they need to push past boundaries and design new types of games that may require more than the human imagination. The only way to make this happen is by utilizing advanced machine learning techniques.

This can be achieved with artificial intelligence programs that can actually imagine new games. Such programs are how some experts believe digital art might evolve. Angelina, a machine built by Michael Cook, a 30-year-old senior research fellow at the University of Falmouth, is a prime example of an AI that can imagine new games. According to Cook, Angelina is an acronym that stands for “A Novel Game-Evolving Labrat I’ve Named Angelina”.

Cook first built the machine back in 2011. Since this time, the AI tech has created hundreds of experimental video games including developing platform games, puzzle games and adventures. What’s more, the machine has even received acclaim in an international game-making competition. AI like Angelina could help game developers unlock new mechanics and concepts.

Cook has said of the machine that “Angelina doesn’t set out to make a game in a particular genre—instead, it tries to build games that match its notion of what a good game is.”

Evolving algorithms in video games, such as in 2016’s No Man’s Sky, has already led to the development of games with more than simple terrain. According to a team of researchers from the University of Lyon, Purdue and video game publisher Ubisoft, this continued evolution could result in a future where game artists merely outline a horizon and the AI will take it from there, filling in the full geological detail.

2. Simulating Realism – AI that thinks

Over the years, AI has become more important in terms of creating video game realism. Simulating life-like characters with deeply human characteristics, such as emotions and unpredictability, has come a long way since the rudimentary AI that was used in the first Sim City game launched back in 1989.

In order to be done right, AI needs to be able to convey an experience in a game that provides fun, drama, and some form of enjoyment. Instead of mindless AI like the Goombas that follow Mario around in the Super Mario Brothers games, in order to truly simulate realism, more developers are focusing on AI that can think and evolve; AI that can learn and adapt to new environments.

F.E.A.R is a great example of a commercial game that broke the mold in terms of successful implementation of AI. F.E.A.R. was a pioneer game for its use of AI simulating realistic behavior in games. Instead of the standard Goomba-like empty-headed enemy, the enemies in this game were strategic and learned from mistakes. They evolved, making the game more fun and challenging.

Other notable implementations of well-executed realism simulated by AI in commercial games include Black & White’s machine learning, Spore’s data-driven lifeform simulations, and Façade’s natural language parsing.

3.Studying Player Behavior – Getting Players Hooked

Artificial intelligence is also being used in the gaming industry to study player behavior. For the most part, the purpose of these studies is to learn more about players in an effort to help predict player actions so that game makers can further encourage players to play and spend on their games.

For instance, Tokyo-based company Silicon Studio Corp, provides game makers with deep-learning algorithms. These algorithms essentially create a psychological profile of each game player. The machine learning software, called Yokozuna Data, predicts the length of time a person will play, what levels they might complete, how much money they might spend and on what they might spend it.

The use of AI to study player behavior is also utilized in the iGaming industry. A prime example is BtoBet, an omnichannel platform based on AI technology, which allows iGaming and Sports-Betting operators to effectively tailor their offers to their players. For example, under a new partnership between BtoBet and Betsoft Gaming all of Betsoft’s integrated games will be managed by BtoBet’s AI learning machine. This machine will provide a real-time and accurate data analysis for every customer so the operator can automatically segment the player’s base to easily provide them with the specific promotional activities best suited to their behavior.

In regard to the use of AI to study player behavior, chief data scientist at Silicon Studio, Africa Perianez, said: “Game data is perfect for studying human behavior. It’s going to change the industry, change the direction of personalized games.”

4. A symbiotic relationship

Based on the evolution of AI over the years and considering today’s present use and development of machine learning systems in games and in studying player behavior, it’s not hard to imagine artificial intelligence and gaming becoming interdependent in the future.