Nvidia Uses AI to Transform How We Interact With NPCs in Games.

Nvidia is making significant strides in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) tools and applications, with plans to introduce a range of new AI products.

During his presentation at the Computex show in Taiwan on May 28, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the DGX GH200, an AI supercomputer platform. Designed to assist tech companies in developing the next generation of the widely popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, the supercomputer aims to enhance the capabilities of AI-powered characters capable of natural conversation. Major tech players including Microsoft, Meta, and Google's Alphabet are expected to be among the early adopters of this advanced computing solution.

In addition, Huang introduced a new offering called Nvidia ACE for Games, specifically targeted at the gaming industry. This service harnesses the power of AI to provide more depth and personality to NPC (non-playable characters) in video games, enhancing the overall gaming experience. By leveraging AI technology, ACE aims to push the boundaries of realism and immersion in gaming environments.

Nvidia and its partner Convai have showcased a demo that highlights the capabilities of their collaboration. The demo aims to promote the suite of middleware tools called Nvidia ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) for Games, which can operate locally or in the cloud. The ACE suite includes various components such as NeMo tools for deploying large language models, Riva for speech-to-text and text-to-speech, and other related elements.

In the Computex pre-briefing, Nvidia's VP of GeForce Platform, Jason Paul, mentioned that the technology has the potential to scale beyond single-character interactions and could potentially enable NPCs to communicate with each other. However, he admitted that it has not been extensively tested yet.

Numerous game developers and startups have already integrated Nvidia's generative AI technologies into their workflows. For instance, GSC Game World is utilizing Audio2Face in their upcoming game, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl." Fallen Leaf, an indie game developer, is using Audio2Face for character facial animation in their sci-fi thriller "Fort Solis," set on Mars. Charisma.ai, a company focused on AI-driven virtual characters, is leveraging Audio2Face for animation within its conversation engine.