If you think AIs in your favorite computer games can’t get any better, then think again. Some of Korea’s top gaming companies are reportedly buffing up their AI Research. Lead by Nexon, NCSOFT, and Netmarble, Korean gaming companies may be at the forefront of the world’s Fourth Industrial Revolution.
According to company executives, AI technology can improve not just the gaming experience itself; but, also the process of making games. It can also help them improve their data gathering and analytics with regards to the public perception of their games.
What Are The Developments In AI Research?
Netmarble’s AI Revolution Center (NARC), which was launch just last year, has increased its workforce by as much as 70 percent. According to officials, this is to enhance their AI research further.
NCSOFT is one of the first companies to take a step in this direction. They formed AI taskforce in February 2011 to handle their artificial intelligence research. Overseen by the company’s founder, Kim Taek-jin, the taskforce has since focused on their two most significant products. These products are AI and natural language processing (NLP).
The AI task force has multiple affiliated organizations such as Game AI Lab, Speech Lab, and Vision AI Lab for their AI technologies, and Language AI Lab and Knowledge AI Lab for their NLP technologies.
During a media conference last Thursday, Lee Jae-Joon, head of NCSOFT’s AI Center said, “When creating game characters in the past, game developers had to input each facial expression fitting for lines and situations one by one, AI helps reduce this kind of repetitive work significantly.”
The company also unveiled during the same press conference the voice-command technology. According to their executive, they may soon apply the technology to mobile games such as their “Lineage M.”
Nexon, on the other hand, just recently launched their own Intelligence Lbs last May 2017. The department, according to the company, will study advanced technologies such as deep machine learning, AI research, piracy detection, and more. The center currently employs 150 individuals, a number that may grow to 300 at the end of this year.
A Nexon official said that they are planning to look for more ways that they can apply AI research to their games.
Many experts see South Korea as a strong contender as the world’s artificial technology leader. The recent developments in Korea’s gaming industry have shown that this dream may be closer than we would’ve thought.
Featured image grabbed from Netmarble’s website.
