Unity's Initiative for Responsibly Sourced AI Tools

Unity is advancing its development of AI-powered tools, with the announcement of Muse's early access at the Unite event. Despite the controversy surrounding AI in game development, Unity is committed to integrating AI features into its engine, having unveiled the Muse suite earlier this year and partnering with AI-driven asset creators. The Muse suite is designed to assist users by leveraging artificial intelligence to generate content. In an interview, Marc Whitten, president and general manager of Unity Create, stated that the company aims to support developers by providing them with control and assistance through AI tools. Unity's goal is to enable developers to iterate and experiment more efficiently, allowing them to focus on creating enjoyable gaming experiences. The company plans to embed AI tools within the Unity workflow, making them accessible to developers when needed. The initial features of Muse include Muse Chat, which aids developers in finding resources across Unity, Muse Sprite, which generates 2D sprites with multiple variations, and Muse Texture, which creates textures for use in 2D or 3D games. Additional tools, such as Muse Animate, Muse Behaviour, and Muse Sketch, are in development. Unity is also launching Unity Sentis, which enables programmers to integrate AI models into their games or apps, enhancing them regardless of the device used. Sentis is scheduled to debut with Unity 6 in 2024. A significant concern surrounding AI tools is the datasets used for training. Unity has taken steps to address this issue, ensuring that Muse Sprite and Muse Texture are trained on data and images owned or licensed by Unity. The company has implemented a multi-step process, including human oversight and machine learning, to generate safe and reliable outputs. Muse Chat utilizes a combination of external large language models and custom scaffolding systems to produce responses built from Unity's first-party resources or consensually sourced materials. Whitten emphasized Unity's commitment to developing AI capabilities in a transparent and responsible manner, delivering tools that are easy to use, responsibly sourced, and produce output that creators can trust. Unity will also indemnify developers who use the Muse tools. The debate surrounding AI in game development has intensified in recent years, with some expressing concerns about the impact on the developer landscape. Whitten assured that Unity Muse is a separate product from the engine, and developers can continue to use Unity as they always have. When asked about the potential effects of AI on game development roles, Whitten stated that Unity's goal is to provide creators with more tools and control, keeping them at the center of the creative process. The Unite event marks Unity's first major developer gathering since the runtime fee controversy in September, which led to a backlash against the company's plans to charge studios for game installations. Unity has since altered these plans, but developers remain skeptical. Whitten acknowledged the company's efforts to regain developers' trust, stating that Unity is focusing on the areas that matter most to creators, specifically the engine, and is committed to listening to and addressing the community's challenges.