How can AI be used to create immersive audio in games?

2 How does AI audio work?

AI audio works by taking inputs from the game engine, such as the player's position, actions, and preferences, the environment, the events, and the narrative, and using them to generate or adjust the audio output. For example, if the player enters a dark cave, the AI audio system can lower the music volume, add some echo and ambient sounds, and make the enemy noises more prominent. Or, if the player chooses a different dialogue option, the AI audio system can alter the voice tone and emotion of the characters accordingly. AI audio can also use feedback from the player, such as their heart rate, facial expressions, or voice commands, to further tailor the audio experience.

4 What are the challenges of AI audio?

AI audio poses challenges for game design, such as ensuring the quality and consistency of generated or modified audio, balancing the creative control and autonomy of the AI audio system, and addressing the ethical and legal issues of using AI audio. These challenges require finding the optimal level of human intervention and supervision that preserves artistic vision and gameplay design, as well as considering the ownership, copyright, and consent of audio sources and outputs, as well as potential impact on players and society. Glitches, errors, or mismatches that can break immersion or cause confusion must be avoided to ensure a successful game.

5 What are some examples of AI audio in games?

AI audio is an emerging field in game design, with examples of its use in games such as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, which uses AI audio to create realistic and disturbing voices in the protagonist's head to simulate psychosis and schizophrenia. No Man's Sky utilizes AI audio to generate procedural music and sound effects for the planets and creatures in its game universe, while Fortnite optimizes audio performance and quality for different platforms and devices with AI audio.