At the recent Nvidia GPU Technology Conference, there was exciting news about the new Blackwell AI GPU, the B200. CEO Jensen had a Q&A session with the press to answer questions and share insights. One question was about AI-generated games. Jensen thinks they could be available in five to ten years. So, basically, the question was about when we might see games fully created by AI.
Some might be surprised by the response, which is a big deal for GPUs. GPUs have traditionally rendered games using rasterization and, more recently, added ray tracing for better visuals. But now, AI-focused GPUs are using their power to create bigger and better neural networks for making content. This includes tools like Stable Diffusion, Chat-GPT, ChatRTX (now called Chat With RTX), Sora video generation, and more.
Jensen envisions a time when AI tools, fueled by GPUs, could once again create computer graphics. He stresses the difference between creating and displaying graphics. He thinks we could see AI-generated games within ten years, maybe even within five years for early attempts.
Sora requires a lot of computational power for both training and making short videos. OpenAI uses tens of thousands of GPUs for Sora and similar tools. Even if desktop GPUs got twice as powerful each generation, in ten years, we might only have around 32 RTX 4090 GPUs in our desktop computers.
I don't think you'll just type “Make a pirate game” and get a playable game instantly on your PC in ten or twenty years. But AI can already make images, sound, models, video, and code, and it keeps getting better. In ten years, AI might make models, levels, code, stories, and more in minutes. With cloud computing, generating games on the spot doesn't seem impossible.
Bilawal Sidhu wondered, “When will we see every pixel being made in real-time? What do you think gaming and other experiences will be like in that new setup?”
Jensen mentioned, “When technology becomes useful and improves, it often spreads quickly, usually within ten years. ChatGPT is not only useful but often better. I think it'll take less than ten years. In five years, everything will be changing live, and people will see it. We might already be two years into that ten-year period. So, I'd say it'll be widespread in the next five to ten years.”
Right now, Nvidia and other companies are testing AI-driven NPCs and new ways to interact in games. The ones I've tried feel a bit strange, but they could improve gaming worlds with some work. For example, Ubisoft Neo was shown at this year's Game Developers Conference, and indie games with AI-powered NPCs might appear next year. Nvidia has been developing ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) for a while, and it's improving with each demo.
Some individuals have already created games with minimal effort, though they may not be excellent. These are just the initial versions of the tools. Even a subpar game made by AI in under 10 minutes surpasses what most individuals could achieve on their own. Enhancing games can also occur more rapidly. Jensen noted in the Q&A that AI is simplifying code writing. You no longer need years of schooling for it.
Might we witness DLSS 10 creating games with neural rendering eventually? The name might alter, but AI tools are already gaining prominence. Whether this will result in improved games remains uncertain.
What do we think?
I think gaming is going to change a lot in the next decade. AI is becoming more important, and it's going to help make games better.
We might even see games created by AI soon. But it's hard to say for sure. Overall, I think gaming will become more exciting and different thanks to AI.
