TheRTX 50-series GPUsmay have been the stars of the showthis CES, butAI is Nvidias real bread and butter.
If there were anything I wish AI could do, it would be to stop talking so much.
Some of its planned models could make sense with more fine-tuning.
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
The generative AI made to renovate your classic NPC or enemy AI in games doesnt quite stick the landing.
Take, for instance, the AI Ally Nvidia helped create for the battle royale gamePUBG: Battlegrounds.
I asked it to talk like a pirate.
The AI responded, Ah, the pirate life.
Lets hope we dont end up walking the plank.
Stick with me, and well find a buggy soon.
I found the AI was pretty slow at helping me acquire a weapon.
I only survived because the developers offered invincibility if you got shot during the demo.
I see the vision; its just not there yet.
Weve previously triedNvidias ACE, or its autonomous game NPCs, at the last CES and later in 2024.
Its supposedly about a rebel bunny with two laser swords on his back.
How can anybody make that uncool?
By adding scratchy AI voice lines to its characters.
Our demo saw Nvidia ask a character in-game to change the color of his spaceship from beige to purple.
Lets get started, the AI replied.
Instead of purple, it made the ship orange.
On the second try, the AI managed to find the right end of the color spectrum.
Then, Nvidia asked it to change the decal on the ship to a narwhal fighting a unicorn.
The real showcase of Nvidias AI was in its desktop companion apps.
Still, at the very least, it is an intriguing use for AI.
But AI cant just be intriguing.
It needs to be wild.
Otherwise, who cares?
There were demos for an AI head made for streamers that were surprisingly rude to users.
However, the real star was a talking mannequin head sitting like a gargoyle on your home desktop screen.
In my estimation, it still lands on the wrong side of the uncanny valley.
Based on the booklet, it could offer a rundown of the games story.
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