Фрагмент презентації ШІ Muse / Microsoft
«The Invisible Hand» Microsoft has introduced the Muse generative AI model for game development. Developers are not too happy about it, but many are afraid to oppose it.
The Muse model covers a huge part of game development: the creation of characters, locations, plots, and music. Microsoft, together with the British studio Ninja Theory, used the game Bleeding Edge (2020) for testing. Thus, AI learns from available data and can, for example, select music depending on what is happening on the screen. The model understands the physics and 3D environment inside the game. It predicts how players will react to situations in the game to create more realistic scenarios.
Source model resolution is extremely low (10FPS), but this is just the beginning. So far, Muse generates gameplay in a resolution of 300×180 pixels, although the result is far from the 1080p standard.
Muse also aims at remasters with reissues, which are becoming more and more common lately: Warcraft II, Days Gone Remastered, The Last of Us Part II, The Sims etc. The model can learn games from its extensive catalog of classic games to optimize on modern hardware.
«To imagine that beloved games lost to time and hardware advancement could one day be played on any screen with Xbox is an exciting possibility for us», says Fatima Kardar, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of gaming AI.
Microsoft interviewed 27 game developers around the world, but the reaction of the online community can be described in the words of the founder of The Outsiders development studio David Goldfarb: «Fuck this shit». He says that generative AI in gaming will not be useful because, in addition to reducing costs, it will devalue the work of game developers and artists.
«The primary issue is that we are losing craft. When we rely on this stuff we are implicitly empowering a class of people who own these tools and don’t give a fuck about how they reshape our lives», Goldfarb says.
Amid the news of Muse’s launch, it is worth mentioning that the gaming industry is experiencing large-scale reduction. In 2023, according to unofficial data more than 10,000 jobs were cut in the video game industry. In 2024, the trend has only become more entrenched, and there is no reason to think that it will change now. That’s why some developers don’t express their opinions about Muse openly, as they fear that they will lose their «precarious» jobs.
«It’s the classic issue of Xbox bleeding talent but also so heavily invested in GenAI that they can’t see the forest for the trees. They don’t see that nobody will want this. They don’t CARE that nobody will want this … internal discussions about these sorts of things are quiet because EVERYONE fears being against this and losing their jobs due to the tumultuous time in our industry», said an anonymous AAA game developer who was banned from speaking publicly about Muse.
Another anonymous developer was outraged that he could not openly oppose Muse. There is a general feeling among game creators that such statements will negatively affect their chances of getting funding or significantly reduce it. Developers and artists starting out in small studios are at even greater risk — with little experience, running against a corporate AI is like running with your eyes closed. For its part, Microsoft believes that the model will be useful in certain aspects of game development, such as creating initial versions of a game to work out ideas and form a final vision.
Source: Wired