As part of its efforts to revitalise its faltering metaverse strategy, Meta intends to incorporate more generative artificial intelligence technology into games, particularly virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality games.
According to a job posting, Meta is seeking to conduct research and create prototypes for “new consumer experiences,” which encompass new gaming genres controlled by generative artificial intelligence. The company aims to create games that adapt dynamically with each play and exhibit a “non-deterministic” progression. Concurrently, the business intends to develop generative artificial intelligence-powered tools that might “improve workflow and time-to-market” for video games, either by developing these tools themselves or by partnering with third-party producers and suppliers.
We will be concentrating on Horizon, which is Meta’s suite of metaverse games, applications, and tools for development. Nevertheless, it may extend to include games and experiences on “non-meta” platforms like personal computers and mobile devices.
The job description states that “this is a nascent area but has the potential to create new experiences that are not even possible to exist today.” This is a statement that holds true. The innovation that is taking place in this area has the potential to have a significant impact on the ecosystem since it is expected to improve efficiency and make it possible to generate a great deal more material.
Meta did not respond to the request for a comment.
The new attempts come at a time when Meta’s Reality Labs, the section responsible for the company’s several metaverse initiatives, including the Meta Quest headgear, has not yet been able to produce a product that commands a significant amount of attention. Despite the fact that Meta has sold tens of millions of Quest units, the company has had a difficult time attracting people to its Horizon mixed reality platform. Additionally, the company has tried to recover from operational losses that totaled billions of dollars.
Recently, Meta made a strategic shift in its metaverse platform approach, which enabled third-party headset makers to licence some software-based aspects of the Quest, such as hand and body tracking. In parallel, Meta has increased its funding for metaverse game initiatives. This is purportedly a result of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s newly discovered personal interest in the development of gaming for Quest headsets. Both of these developments have occurred simultaneously.
Meta has previously expressed interest in generative artificial intelligence experiences within the metaverse.
In 2022, Zuckerberg unveiled a prototype of a programme called Builder Bot. This programme enabled users to construct components of virtual environments by describing them with instructions like “Let’s go to the beach.” And in a blog post from the previous year, Andrew Bosworth, the Chief Technology Officer of Meta and the director of Reality Labs, proposed generative artificial intelligence capabilities that may assist “levelling the playing field” in the process of developing material for the metaverse.
Image Credits: Meta
According to what he stated, “Just as Instagram made it possible for anyone to become a creator, [these generative AI tools] will not just increase the power of individual creators.” “They will also act as a force multiplier for developers, providing smaller teams with the horsepower of larger studios and accelerating innovation across the board,” the author writes.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has started to make its way into the game creation industry. Inworld and Artificial Agency, two Disney-sponsored companies, are using this technology to create more dynamic game conversations and storylines. There are currently a variety of platforms that provide tools for creating game graphic assets and character voices using artificial intelligence. This has caused some game developers to be concerned about their ability to make a living.
Earlier this year, Meta founded a new top-level team focused on generative AI goods, including AI characters and advertisements. The company said that it intended to invest billions of dollars in generative artificial intelligence. Since Zuckerberg issued a warning in April that it would take “years” for the firm to generate money from generative AI, it is reasonable to assume that the investments will not immediately result in a turnaround in Reality Labs’ financial situation.
