Microsoft made a big announcement over on the official Xbox website today, as they revealed ‘Muse’, a new generative AI model that can create actual gameplay and visuals whilst understanding player controller inputs. As a piece of scientific research it’s certainly interesting and groundbreaking; as a sign of creativity in the gaming industry, perhaps it’s more concerning.
This is a first of its kind model, and was trained initially using Ninja Theory’s game Bleeding Edge. The AI is capable of understanding the physics underneath the game, alongside the controller inputs and how they operate, and can thus generate visuals and effectively create its own gameplay space. Xbox are so impressed by their work that they plan on releasing some AI game experiences themselves soon – but they want to go bigger.
Muse is designed to be a tool for developers beyond just Microsoft research; it’s meant to change how the entire development process works. Xbox said in their announcement post that they are already using other first-party games to train Muse, and want to use the same technology to advance game preservation and recreate older gaming experiences. To Xbox, the “games lost to time and hardware advancements could one day be played on any screen with Xbox” thanks to Muse’s power to recreate and execute gameplay ideas.
Of course, the reaction to this has understandably been mixed across the industry. Whilst Xbox themselves talk of developer praise for the potential of their tool, creatives and developers online can’t help but notice that Xbox is developing a tool that can create games, instead of just hiring actual humans to create it themselves. We’re not sure exactly how far Muse will go, but the explosion of AI across industries is starting to make its mark as the technology advances, and we still don’t know where we’re headed.
What do you think of Microsoft’s reveal of Muse, and how do you feel about generative AI in the future of gaming? Sound off in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news.
