Google researchers have achieved a major milestone in artificial intelligence (AI) by developing a neural network that can generate real-time gameplay for the classic shooter Doom without using a traditional game engine. Dubbed GameNGen, this system marks a significant step forward in AI, producing playable gameplay at 20 frames per second on a single chip.
GameNGen is the first game engine powered entirely by a neural model that enables real-time interaction with a complex environment over long trajectories at high quality. The researchers claim that their achievement represents the first time an AI has fully simulated a complex video game with high-quality graphics and interactivity.
The system runs on a single Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), Google’s custom-built AI accelerator chip, handling Doom’s intricate 3D environments and fast-paced action with remarkable efficiency. This marks a significant shift from traditional game engines that rely on painstakingly coded software to manage game states and render visuals.
The transition to AI-powered game engines like GameNGen could transform the $200 billion global gaming industry by eliminating the need for manually programmed game logic, potentially reducing development time and costs. This could democratize game creation, enabling smaller studios and individual creators to produce complex, interactive experiences that were previously unimaginable.
Beyond cost and time savings, AI-powered game engines could open the door to entirely new genres of games where the environment, narrative, and gameplay mechanics dynamically evolve based on player actions. This innovation could reshape the gaming landscape, moving away from a blockbuster-centric model toward a more diverse and varied ecosystem.
The potential applications for GameNGen extend beyond gaming, with implications for industries such as virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. For instance, autonomous vehicles require the ability to simulate countless driving scenarios to safely navigate complex environments, a task that an AI-driven engine like GameNGen could perform with high fidelity and real-time processing.
While GameNGen represents a significant leap forward, it also presents challenges, such as developing a more general-purpose AI game engine capable of running multiple titles. Nevertheless, this achievement marks a crucial step toward a new era in game engines, where games are not just played by AI but also created and powered by it.
Source: https://venturebeat.com/ai/googles-gamengen-ai-breaks-new-ground-by-simulating-doom-without-a-game-engine/