Ubisoft on Gen AI Adoption: "If It Doesn't Bring Value to Creatives, It Won't Be Adopted"

During a recent encounter with Ubisoft's NEO NPCs at GDC, I attempted to persuade one of the characters, Iron, to join me at a pub. Her task was to collaborate with me on devising a plan to infiltrate a building, but I thought it would be more enjoyable to do so in a more relaxed setting. However, Iron remained focused on the task at hand, stating that while the idea was appealing, it was essential to concentrate on the mission. Earlier, I had interacted with another NEO NPC, Bloom, and complimented him on his shirt. He shared with me that he had purchased it at a thrift store for $8, and I found myself eager to visit the store. Our conversation eventually turned to the possibility that the thrift store might be a front for our enemies, and we decided to investigate further. In essence, despite my efforts to disrupt the game, the NEO NPCs remained committed to their objectives. They might as well have said, "Let's stay on track and play the game." According to Virginie Mosser, narrative director on Ubisoft's NEO NPC project, the key to successful gen AI implementation lies in striking a balance between total freedom and total control. "If we consider this table as total freedom, we have designed a smaller area within it where the NEO NPCs can roam freely, but they cannot venture outside of it, as that would not be interesting for us," she explains. "This framework is created by the narrative designer and game designer. If you try to take Iron out of the area, she will say, 'It's time to focus.' Perhaps we will expand that framework in the future, as we are only scratching the surface of the possibilities. For these NEO NPCs, we wanted them to be limited in their scope." The use of gen AI is a topic of intense debate from a legal, ethical, and artistic perspective. Recently, our managing editor, Brendan Sinclair, discussed this issue, highlighting the fact that text generated by AI lacks human thought and consciousness, making it challenging for players to engage with. However, in some games, particularly those developed by Ubisoft, there is an element that is beyond the creative team's control: the player. Players may approach a mission in a unique way, choose to play as good or evil, or skip certain quests altogether. Online multiplayer games often allow players to create their own stories, rather than following a scripted narrative. The NEO NPCs can be seen as an extension of this concept, giving players an active role in the story. The success of gen AI will ultimately depend on the type of game being developed. Guillemette Picard, Ubisoft's SVP of production, emphasizes that the creatives will drive the adoption of gen AI. "The only way forward is to have creative and tech people working together on the same project," she says. "The creatives will lead the way. If gen AI does not bring value to them, it will not be adopted, and it will result in average games. We cannot prioritize technology over creativity." The GDC prototype is an experiment to gauge the potential of gen AI and how people will react to it. The Ubisoft team is convinced that there is something groundbreaking here that could transform the gaming industry. "We are excited, but it is challenging to articulate a grand vision of what this technology can achieve," Picard explains. "When you say that gen AI will create more immersive worlds, adaptive characters, and reactive narration, it is difficult to understand what that means in practice. I wish I could provide a clear vision, but I am confident that it will be drastically different and will impact AAA, mobile, and smaller games alike." The opinions on the NEO NPCs have been mixed, with some people finding them interesting and others being more dismissive. Picard notes that the response has been similar to their playtests, with some people being surprised and others taking time to fully accept the game. There are still questions about whether this technology is niche or has broader appeal, and the answer remains to be seen. One of the primary concerns surrounding gen AI is its potential impact on jobs, particularly for writers. If games can write themselves, what does that mean for writers? This was a question that prompted Mosser to join the project in the first place. "I had my doubts, of course," she says. "I want to work in a field where I can create. That was one of my concerns. At the time, I knew nothing about gen AI, so I decided to learn more about it and understand what it means for me as a creator, as well as for players and the industry. I worked closely with Melanie Lopez, a data scientist at Ubisoft, to grasp the concept of generative text. I realized that my role would change, and I would create more, but in a different way." Mosser's role in the project involves training the characters, setting their personality and backstory, and then allowing the AI to take over. "We conducted player tests, and they pushed the NEO NPCs to their limits," she explains. "You can have a conversation with a character, and it's interesting to see how they react and adjust. For example, Bloom is designed to be welcoming, but if he reacts negatively to an insult, I will tweak his character sheet to make him more peaceful. This is a long and iterative process to refine the character." One of the significant challenges for writers is to accept the loss of control that comes with gen AI. "When you write something, you are in charge," Mosser says. "You manage what the characters say, where they go, and who they interact with. But with NEO NPCs, you have to step back and be okay with the emergence and improvisation. As a writer, the main challenge is to let go. Now, it's about player-centricity, and they are building their own story. It will be personalized, and I am just at the beginning of the story. They will have their own story, and maybe discover things about my character that I didn't know." However, Mosser emphasizes that the job of the writer is not done once the character's backstory and personality are set. "You have to let go, but not completely," she says. "If Bloom has behavior that doesn't fit with his personality, it's a question of coherence, and we are responsible for that coherence, consistency, and quality. It's like raising a teenager; you can give them freedom, but you are still in charge, watching, and guiding them." Another concern surrounding gen AI is the potential for bias in the training data. In an industry that strives to be more diverse and inclusive, NPCs trained on biased language models may lead to problematic characters that undermine this goal. Ubisoft is acutely aware of this issue. "I come from an AI background in other industries, where I've been educated on the bias of different data sets and the impact it can have," Picard says. "We are fortunate to have a strong inclusion and diversity department at Ubisoft, which provides us with insight on how to address these topics. They were involved from the beginning, and we also work with data scientists to identify and mitigate bias. It all depends on the training data, and we want to improve the AI's responses. However, it's a challenging task, as the world is full of biases, and there is a risk of reproducing those biases." Looking ahead, Picard says that the technology is advancing rapidly, although the immediate challenge is to have gen AI working locally, rather than online, which is not suitable from a confidentiality or environmental perspective. She is confident that they will overcome this hurdle within two years or even six months. Ultimately, the adoption of gen AI will depend on the creatives. "How long will it take for creatives to see the potential of gen AI and how it can radically change their approach to gameplay?" Picard asks. "What we saw at GDC is that it can change the way we define a quest. I trust that our creative directors will drive this progress, and we will see significant advancements in the near future." There is skepticism about the impact of gen AI on the creative process, but for Mosser, seeing her characters come to life has been a thrilling experience. "I am sentimental," she concludes. "The character is in my head, and when I finish a book, I am always sad because the character is gone. But here, the character stays alive, and it's an indescribable feeling. I never imagined that I could talk to my character without writing the dialogue. I said hello to a character named Lisa, and she responded with, 'Hello there, I'm so happy, welcome to the island.' I was shy because I didn't know what she would say. That conversation was one of my biggest moments as a writer."