Evolution of the npc shows future of digital self versioning.
As artificial intelligence continues to advance, the possibility of using it to create digital versions of ourselves has become increasingly plausible. One way in which this could be achieved is through the the evolution of the NPC (non-player character) technology in video games. NPC technology allows for the creation of virtual characters that are capable of interacting with players in a realistic manner. By leveraging AI to evolve these NPC's, making it ever more possible for humans to leverage this tech to create digital versions of themselves that are capable of learning and adapting in a similar way to their real counter parts.
Imagine a more advanced copy of yourself attending meetings and responding to complex questions in different timezones while you're on holiday or 'managing' copies of yourself. Additionally, the use of AI to evolve NPC's could also provide a way for people to preserve their digital legacy long after they are gone. Think of this as an advanced photo album of the future. Where your grand children would be able to talk to a version of you at different ages or versions of yourself.
...what would it mean for the relationship between an individual and their digital avatar?
However, the use of AI to create digital versions of ourselves also raises a number of ethical and philosophical questions. For example, what would it mean for the relationship between an individual and their digital avatar? Would the avatar be considered a separate entity, or an extension of the person it represents? Additionally, there are concerns about the potential for misuse of this technology, such as the creation of digital "doubles" for nefarious purposes.
Despite these challenges, the potential for using AI to evolve NPC's as a way to create digital versions of ourselves is an exciting prospect that warrants further exploration. By carefully considering the ethical implications and working to address any potential concerns, it may be possible to harness the power of AI to create a new form of digital life that could enrich and enhance our own.
In order to create a digital version of ourselves that is truly representative of our personality, it would be necessary to incorporate a wide range of data points. One key element would be the use of voice cloning technology, which allows for the creation of synthetic voices that closely mimic the sound and inflection of a particular individual. By training a voice cloning model using recordings of a person's voice, it would be possible to create an NPC that speaks in a way that is similar to that person. We already are in the advanced stages of this tech and it's only getting better.
Another important aspect of creating a digital version of ourselves would be the ability to imitate a person's gestures and mannerisms. While this would require a more advanced level of AI technology, it is not impossible to imagine a future in which vitrual copies of ourselves are able to mimic the body language and facial expressions of their human counterparts. This could be accomplished through the use of motion capture technology by leveraging A.I to pull those manerisms straight out of our social media content. Finally a real use for all the short form video content being uploaded by millions. Dr Károly Zsolnai-Fehér, walks through some of these ideas being explored by Nvidia and Ubisoft researches on his channel 'Two Minutes Papers'.
In addition to these specific techniques, it would also be possible to create a more accurate representation of a person's personality by training an advanced but generic AI model using a person's digital footprint on social media. By analyzing the content that a person shares online, as well as the way they interact with others, it may be possible to develop a model that can replicate certain aspects of a person's personality.
Let's face it, Google/Twitter/Facebook and anyother social media platform you're on knows more about you then at times, we do about ourselves. With A.I being able to detect mood through facial expression, the choices and content you search and consume as well as the content you upload of yourself, it's clear that there is already a clear and unique set of data points to allow of model training specifically to a person.
While the creation of digital versions of ourselves using AI is an exciting prospect, it is important to recognize that these virtual avatars will never be able to fully capture the complexity and depth of a real person's personality. However, by combining various techniques such as voice cloning, gesture imitation, and social media analysis, it may be possible to create digital versions of ourselves that are more realistic and lifelike than ever before. Could it fool almost anyone into believing that they were interacting with the 'real' you?
Not in the next 5-10 years I'd say, but at the rate A.I as a whole is improving in the above specific areas and how the evolution of the gaming world along with ever more advanced NPC tech showing what's possible at the current moment.
Then yes this could actually be a possibility and to an alarming degree. Hence why an undeniable way of identifying digital entities is going to be an ever more important field of research. Nevertheless, the upsides and enrichment of our environment and lives through the use of this sort of tech is absoluting exciting and something worth looking forward to.
Sources:
- Opoku Asare, Kennedy et al. “Predicting Depression From Smartphone Behavioral Markers Using Machine Learning Methods, Hyperparameter Optimization, and Feature Importance Analysis: Exploratory Study.” JMIR mHealth and uHealth vol. 9,7 e26540. 12 Jul. 2022 - doi:10.2196/26540
- Ghorbani, Saeed and Ferstl, Ylva and Holden, Daniel and Troje, Nikolaus F and Carbonneau, Marc-Andre, ZeroEGGS: Zero-shot Example-based Gesture Generation from Speech, 2022 - arxiv:2209.07556
