AI overhaul has us worried for GTA 6 NPCs
Welcome to the world of tomorrow. It's been a decade (and counting) since Rockstar Games last visited Grand Theft Auto, and while the mean streets of Los Santos have been kept filthy with crime thanks to GTA Online, we're excited to see what's next. Obviously, we're expecting some technological improvements.
When it comes to NPCs, GTA V hardly has the most sophisticated out there, however, with 10 years of game development since they first blundered into our lives, they're more than due a tune-up. Thankfully, a massive GTA V overhaul mod gives NPCs a mind of their own - with some concerning results.
GTA V AI mod has us worried for GTA 6 NPCs
Click to enlargeWhile the use of AI in video games is an awkward conversation these days, it's not all about machines taking our jobs by writing lacklustre storylines or putting artists out of business. On the other end of the spectrum, advanced AI has the potential to give us smarter NPCs and a more realistic experience.
As reported by Eurogamer, Nexus Mods released the Sentient Streets mod. The experience is supposed to overhaul NPCs in GTA V, with conversations between them and players powered by AI. Players suit up as a rookie cop who is investigating a rise of AI in Los Santos (how very meta).
Veteran modder Bloc told the site, "I always had the idea of creating a virtual world like GTA, but a version where you can also interact and talk with NPCs like real people." Unfortunately, the mod has been taken down due to a DMCA strike from Take-Two. Does this mean it's a little close to what GTA 6 has planned?
This is his latest project to use Large Language Models (LLMs), having previously used AI in Bannerlord and Skyrim. "LLMs in games [have been called] a 'gimmick' since all you could do was talk to the characters and that was it. I disagreed with that idea, but just disagreeing wasn't enough. So I wanted to prove it," said Bloc
Sentient Streets lets you enjoy open-ended and real-time conversations with around 30 AI NPCs. Bloc used several early access features from Inworld's Character Engine, including the promise of characters who are "capable of multimodal human expression." It definitely throws up some interesting ideas for GTA 6.
GTA 6 will be a whole new world
Click to enlargeSmarter NPCs have already been teased for GTA 6, with that landslide of leaks from last year showing off an impressive nightclub scene with notably smarter NPCs. Leaks also claim that the police will be completely different in GTA 6, reacting to crimes at different speeds depending on their severity.
All signs point to GTA 6 moving with the times, but in an era where advanced AI is still demonised (even in Sentient Streets), it's a careful balancing act. Still, Rockstar is going hard on a technological future. It wasn't long ago that we were sharing our concerns about crypto being shoehorned into the next chapter.
As far back as 2021, Rockstar patents were pointing to the most advanced NPCs in gaming, and as things slowly come together with GTA 6, it looks like we're a million miles away from those bumbling bots of something like Skyrim. The question is, will GTA 6's NPCs be too smart for their own good?
