Future Xbox games may feature AI-generated quests, NPCs, and dialogue

From Bing Chat to Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft is finding all sorts of ways to fit generative AI into its products. And the next place you may find it is in future Xbox titles.

Microsoft has just entered into a partnership with Inworld AI, according to The Verge. Inworld AI is best known for its work on AI-generated NPCs. The tech giant reportedly plans to use Inworld AI to create tools Xbox developers can use to create AI-generated characters, stories, and quests.

These tools will include an “AI design copilot” and an AI character engine. The copilot appears to help with scripts and dialogue, while the character engine can be used for generating stories, quests, and dialogue.

On Inworld’s website, it claims its character engine is capable of giving NPCs “unscripted dialogue, emotionally rich performances, and contextual awareness.” The company also claims its technology can give a game “infinite replayability.” Simply put, these characters would have the ability to respond to the player like how a chatbot responds to entered queries.

Although Microsoft is bringing Inworld’s tools to Xbox, it looks like the final say will be up to the developers. The publication says Microsoft is only offering the AI-powered tools as an option.

Like Microsoft 365 Copilot, the tools are meant to just be there for assistance if the developer feels like using them. Regardless of intentions, however, players might find the use of these tools to be controversial. The Finals, an upcoming first-person shooter that held an open beta that ended yesterday, recently had to defend itself after it was discovered the game was using AI-generated voices. This also relates to the fears WGA and SAG-AFTRA have brought up.