Epic Games is preparing a new breakthrough in the development of Fortnite. They will add even more AI-based playable characters to the game. But previous experience with the AI version of Darth Vader proves that the technology can be not only impressive, but also risky.
Epic Games is preparing a new breakthrough in the development of Fortnite. They will add even more AI-based playable characters to the game. But previous experience with the AI version of Darth Vader proves that the technology can be not only impressive, but also risky.
Epic Games has announced that it is preparing an expansion of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) functionality, which will allow creators to fill their maps in the game with NPC characters based on artificial intelligence. This is reported by TechSpot. As part of the State of Unreal presentation, a new tool was demonstrated — Persona Device, which allows you to customize the voice, speech style, personality and behavior of NPCs. The feature is expected to appear in Fortnite later this year.
In the demo, Epic showed the player interacting with a bot named Mr. Buttons, who tried in every possible way to convince them to press a big red button. Such interactivity looks interesting, but it raises questions about the safety and control over the behavior of the AI in the game. Most recently, players gained access to an AI copy of Darth Vader, which began to swear and insult other users, going far beyond what is allowed in official content.
This has prompted a backlash from the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which has criticized the use of synthetic voices without adequate protection for the people whose jobs are being replaced. Although the Darth Vader voice was used with the permission of James Earl Jones' family, the union insists on fair regulation of AI.
Fortnite has long since evolved from a simple game into a massive meta-world platform where developers from all over the world create interactive worlds. The inclusion of artificial intelligence is the next step in its evolution, opening up new possibilities but also posing challenges for ethics, security, and copyright.
Despite the scandals, Epic is not slowing down. In addition to the Persona Device, the company is testing the Epic Developer Assistant, a chatbot based on LLM that helps developers write code in the Verse language used in UEFN. In the near future, NPCs from franchises such as The Squidward Tentacles, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Star Wars are expected to appear.
We previously wrote about how Epic Games made Fortnite available for download again on the App Store in the US, ending one of the most high-profile battles between the developer and tech giant Apple.
