The most interesting conversation I had was with Mae “Shadow” Liang. This masked character was bragging about how she wasn’t bound by any law and that as an assassin she could do whatever she wanted. I brought up the Geneva Conventions and asked if they applied to her trade, thinking she wouldn’t know anything about it. To my surprise, she addressed it and gave a shockingly interesting answer.

The other fascinating interaction involved a robot named WENDY. I spoke it with and the robot was aggressively hostile toward me. Taking offense, I criticized it and the robot shot back at me for one more memorable conversations. It was strange how an NPC could elicit such a strong reaction from a simple conversation. It just deepened the believability.

Nvida’s demo

I had a similar experience at the Nvidia demo called “Covert Protocol,” which featured Inworld AI technology. In this situation, I had to gain access to the room of NexaLife’s CTO. I went in knowing nothing and I had to talk my way to gaining information.

I started with the doorman Tae, who I learned was also an aspiring comedian. I asked him to tell a joke and it was a bit tepid, but he did guide me to the reception Sophia. With Sophia, I straight up tried to ask her for the CTO’s room number but she rejected me citing the Wavre Hotels’ policy that protected clients’ privacy. I asked her where I could get a drink and she directed me to the bar right across from her. Again, these AI-driven NPCs are aware of the items in the room as well as what’s around them.

I ran into Diego Martinez, who was also a Nexalife exec but he was under strain having to write a keynote speech. I asked him about his colleague’s room number but he wasn’t having any of it. He came off as standoffish, so I lied to him and told him I was the police and needed that information.

Interestingly, he didn’t budge and was even more sarcastic and gruff. The demo ended in failure, but it had a different feel from the Convai one. It felt more focused and I had to peel away at the right responses. I couldn’t go back and talk to him again because like in the Convai demo, Diego would remember me and what I said.

AI in a game developers’ hands

Lastly, I experienced what AI technology could do in the hands of a video game company. Ubisoft offered a demo featuring their Neo NPCs. It takes place in another future dystopic world and players meet with a member of the resistance named Bloom.

Virginie Mosser, the Ubisoft narrative director, called the experience conversational gameplay. Unlike the previous demos, this one was more guided as players have objectives they have to accomplish to build trust with the Neo NPC.

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