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Back in the 1980s, sci-fi films from Blade Runner to RoboCop created tons of hype around artificial intelligence.
In both cases, AI occupies a type of mythic and powerful position in the story.
In Blade Runner, the titular hero is responsible for handling AI-driven Androids, and he’s also helped along by his quasi-digital love interest, Rachael. In RoboCop, Ed Hobley is aided by S.A.I.N.T., a ‘neuralnet’ terminus.
Fast forward almost half a century and the modern world of AI looks a lot different.
Services like ChatGPT and social media algorithms are some of the most well-known forms of artificial intelligence.
AI is also doing things like crushing Magnus Carlsen at chess, stringing together complex DNA sequences for scientists, and creating intriguing portraits for those curious about how they’d look as a superhero or an underwater creature.
The latter highlights AI’s increasing presence in the space of entertainment.
From the most basic form of AI to the most complex form of deep learning, these programs are starting to steer how we entertain ourselves in a variety of spaces.
Some will help creators take the reins into their own hands, while others will instead let them create their own data-driven approach to gaming.
As AI goes mainstream, here are some of the coolest predictions for how it will likely influence our favorite digital past times.
AI In iGaming: A Fresh Look At Strategy
One of the most intriguing ways that AI could influence modern entertainment is in the iGaming arena.
From poker to roulette, iGaming involves a lot of hardboiled strategies—and elements of chance.
Let’s focus on the latter as an example. Today, most roulette players stick to online platforms because they offer a few different variations in game type, added convenience of remote play, and the availability of bonus offers.
But another reason players prefer an online roulette platform is that it gives them more time to think about their strategies and take notes on what works for them.
Roulette includes dozens of specialized approaches, from the Martingale strategy to the Fibonacci sequence.
Already, some roulette fans have relied on AI programs like Reinforcement Learning to weigh these different strategies.
A player’s approach to the game can translate into data based on where they place their bets and how much they wager.
This data can be input into AI programs, helping players think about what they’re doing, how their decisions pan out, and what changes they could make.
Viewed in this way, AI can help people play mindfully in any game of chance.
AI In Video Gaming: A Smarter NPC
When AI helps crunch data in games of chance, it can offer new insight for players.
But in the realm of video gaming, AI could take a more creative turn. While FPS titles like Counter-Strike and MOBA games like Dota 2 don’t involve many non-playing characters (NPCs), longer-form RPGs and action-adventure games tend to involve many.
NPCs can pose challenges or offer help to players as they advance in a game, sometimes through side quests where they gain experience (XP) and other times through random and open-world adventures.
Regardless of how an NPC features in a game, there’s one thing gamers know to be true: they’re usually pretty underwhelming.
AI can have a direct influence on NPCs, making them more engaging, more complex, and more helpful. At the moment, NPCs only perform basic functions.
But with AI-driven NPCs, they would be able to perform more meaningful interactions that make them more believable, adding texture and weight to the story—even when not in multiplayer mode.
AI in Social Media: A Kinder Algorithm & Better Mediation
Almost everyone today has some kind of presence on social media. But they may not realize that AI is actually powering the algorithm that decides what shows up on their feed.
In fact, these programs are becoming more complex each year. But one way that AI could positively affect social media—and not just through algorithms—is via mediation.
Today, humans are responsible for mediating the content that users upload to social media.
Unsurprisingly, some of this content is problematic and must be taken down. But human error means that some things can slip through the cracks—no matter how dedicated a team of mediators is.
AI can help clean up this type of content. At the moment, similar to AI in iGaming and AI in NPCs, there isn’t a clear application for how AI will overtake responsibility for moderation.
However, it’s being explored worldwide as a solution to making everyone’s feed, whether on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, a bit more aligned with their interests and safe for viewing.
AI In Creative Arts: A New Totally New Approach
Programs like ChatGPT and deep fake programs are some of the most well-known AI applications today.
Both offer entertainment and utility, but one of the coolest ways that AI could steer the future of entertainment has nothing to do with lookalikes and auto-scripted articles.
Instead, AI will help put the power into the creators’ hands. So far, AI has had a profound effect on the filmmaking industry.
As one of the most complex art forms, filmmakers are responsible for crafting scripts, creating perfect lighting, bringing on top actors, and much more. They’re often multi-million-dollar projects to boot.
Through AI programs, smaller creators and indie companies can utilize AI to help them create exciting new projects.
It offers them the ability to innovate by handling minutiae, from storyboarding to predicting which times would be best for filming.
Rather than shell out thousands or millions for these things, creators can instead log into an app.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Outside the filmmaking industry, AI has the potential to offer a more hands-on approach for indie creators like writers, photographers, musicians, streamers, and even performance artists.
For example, Amper Music is an AI-generated music tool that lets people like up-and-coming producers start to explore the range of sound, filmmakers outsource their audio production, or even curate the perfect set for a performer before they take the stage. The uses are endless—and AI is still in its infancy.
