AI Dialogue Fails to Capture Emotion, Says Former BioWare Writer

BioWare attempted to utilize artificial intelligence to generate in-game quests and dialogue, but a former BioWare writer stated that the outcome lacked the authenticity and depth of human-produced work. While AI has been used in the past to procedurally generate in-game environments, recent technological advancements have led developers to consider its implementation in writing and voice-acting. Nvidia's announcement of a new AI program that generates NPCs to interact with players in real-time and Ubisoft's expressed excitement for AI's potential in the gaming industry exemplify this trend. However, not all stakeholders have embraced AI as a substitute for human writers and voice actors. Paizo, the producer of Pathfinder, prohibited the use of AI for art and writing in its projects, while renowned voice actors Tara Strong and Patricia Summersett have pointed out that AI is currently unable to capture the genuine human emotion conveyed by an actual actor's performance.

David Gaider, former BioWare narrative lead, recently shared his thoughts on social media regarding the potential use of AI to generate video game scripts in the future. According to Gaider, BioWare had attempted to use AI for this purpose multiple times during his tenure, but the results were disappointing and lacked the soul that is found in games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Despite the team's belief that the technology could work, even with human assistance, the AI failed to capture the humanity that is essential to these types of games.

Although the AI did produce countless procedurally-generated sidequests, these ultimately amounted to nothing more than the standard "bring me 20 beetle heads" missions that BioWare wanted to move away from in games like Dragon Age. Gaider concluded his Twitter thread by stating that while some developers may believe that AI could replace human writers in the future, for now, they should not expect anything more than the average fetch quests and item collecting found in typical MMOs.

David Gaider, a seasoned writer behind BioWare's legendary franchises like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, recognizes the crucial role of writing in video games. While there have been attempts to use AI to emulate human writing, Gaider remains skeptical about its ability to capture the essence of an RPG epic. He is currently working on Stray Gods, a musical RPG based on Greek mythology, for Summerfall Studios, offering fans of his past work something to look forward to.