Machine Learning Is Making Video Game Characters Smarter And Robots More Competent

So says Danny Lange, the VP of AI and machine learning at Unity Technologies, a major maker of game "engine" software that handles the underlying mechanics of titles like Firewatch and ChronoBlade. Today the company announced Unity Machine Learning Agents--open-source software linking its game engine to machine learning programs such as Google's TensorFlow. It will allow non-playable characters, through trial and error, to develop better, more creative strategies than a human could program, says Lange, using a branch of machine learning called deep reinforcement learning. Unity's new AI-linking tool isn't confined to virtual characters. The software can also speed up the development of real-life robots, like self-driving cars, says Lange, by training them relentlessly in sprawling, computer-generated--but lifelike--virtual landscapes.