Gaming and AI: Are we stuck in an AI Matrix?
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Introduction
Who doesn’t love it when your favourite food delivery APP already knows which sauce you want with your hammy? AI is a powerful tool but can be dangerous at times (and we’re not talking about the cheeseburger order). AI can be used to track your general usage on certain apps as well as gather data from various groups and corners of the internet.
Understanding the Technology
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has sky-rocketed in recent years, and in many cases, other innovative software solutions have been unable to keep up.
From improving healthcare services to simplifying our everyday lives, this technology has improved the overall lives of humankind in more ways than one. But that’s enough formal speak. Let’s get to the nitty gritty about why it can be bad for you.
Firstly, AI is designed to track your patterns, habits, and likes, as well as dislikes. This data can be shared with companies without your consent unless you really know your stuff and know where to look and where not to look. Understanding these risks is vital in maintaining your online privacy and security. Not only can this Artificial Intelligence jeopardise your safeguarding, but it can also disrupt the amount of fun you have online. Here’s the latest on how robots are slowly taking over the gaming world! (And not in a cool sci-fi way).
Sima: The Boss Level You Won’t Beat
Sima is a new Google creation thanks to its DeepMind Lab. This AI tool, known as Scalable, Instructable, Multiworld Agent (Sima), has been designed to track players’ interactions and carry out tasks instructed by the gamer in the video game of their choice.
This ‘bot’ carries out whatever the human requests, acting as a sidekick in the game. So basically, you could be playing against Sid from North Carolina or you could be playing against Sid and Sid 2.0, there’s no way of knowing. Many gamers have expressed concern for the unfair advantage this will give some gamers.
The AI bot has been tested on a few well-known games including the infamous Goat Simulator, Valheim and No Man's Sky. The bot, otherwise referred to by Google as an AI agent, successfully managed to learn from human players and quickly adapted to their playing style. The conclusion was that SIMA does not need a custom API in order to play the games everyone else has access to.
Think about it: once this bot has gathered all the information it needs, what will stop it from becoming the ultimate, unbeatable boss level, thanks to its ability to track human response times and strategy?
AI That Takes it a Little Too Far
Yes AI can be used to help you win in CoD or League of Legends but the destruction doesn’t just end on the screen. AI has the ability to make decisions on the behalf of humans, leading to critical scenarios where machines are left to make decisions that could impact real human lives.
Machines can track our shopping lists and emotional responses all they want, but they’ll never have that human response to critical events where human intervention is needed. It is an autonomous weapon, should it be used as one.
There are some companies within the gaming industry who have estimated that in the next 5 years, half of their employees will be replaced with AI technology. There are companies in Hong Kong such as Gala Sports offering $5000 bonuses to employees who can come up with a novel AI creation.
As more and more headway is made with AI in a number of industries, more and more jobs will be replaced with AI agents. Understanding the tools we use in our everyday lives is vital in preventing a scenario similar to the Matrix. No but for real, make sure you read the T&Cs before clicking “accept all cookies.” Unless they’re Tim Tams.
Conclusion
Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, but it’s important to read the small print sometimes. Read where your information is going! When subscribing, entering login details, responding to a comment online or playing your favourite game, you could be a victim of AI tracking. AI can do both good and bad, so there’s no need to go destroy your iPhone 2000 and dust off your Game Boy from before the 2000s. Next time you get beaten in a game, think twice about who your opponent might be. Maybe Erik from England isn’t really just Erik or from England.
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