Ubisoft is developing an AI tool that will help writers generate NPC dialogue

Ubisoft has unveiled a new AI tool called Ghostwriter that will supposedly streamline development and aid writers in creating first-draft dialogue for NPCs.

Ghostwriter is a tool to help scriptwriters handle the more mundane or repetitive aspects of video game dialogue, such as phrases and sounds uttered by NPCs when a player triggers an event known as barks. Ubisoft says this will free up a writer's time so they can focus on more important aspects of the script, such as the story and player dialogue. When we look at Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the sheer number of NPCs is ludicrous, so it certainly makes sense for the company to create a tool to help the folks bringing the characters to life.

Ubisoft Ghostwriter uses AI to help with scriptwriting

In case you weren't aware, Ubisoft is a little fond of making huge sprawling worlds that attempt to grapple you into submission until you've spent hundreds of hours uncovering locations, beating the bad guys, and meeting the locals. That former part is where Ghostwriter comes in. It's been developed by Ubisoft's LA Forge R&D department and is designed to “generate first drafts of barks — phrases or sounds made by NPCs during a triggered event.” Ubisoft claims that "Ghostwriter isn't replacing the video game writer," as it's designed with said writers as an aid so they can focus on the more important narrative beats.

Ghostwriter will be the go-to program for Ubisoft's studios for handling repetitive tasks that naturally take up a lot of the scriptwriters' time. The tool will create a first draft of a character's dialogue, and then the writers can modify it as much or as little as they like. It's certainly an interesting piece of tech and one that could play a major role in some of Ubisoft's upcoming games, such as the recently rumoured Far Cry 7.

However, Ubisoft's announcement was met with criticism from numerous key figures within the games industry, with some arguing that editing AI-generated scripts would be more time-consuming than writing their own dialogue. Alanah Pearce, a writer for Sony Santa Monica, tweeted: "As a writer, having to edit AI-generated scripts/dialogue sounds far more time-consuming than just writing my own temp lines. I would far prefer AAA studios use whatever budget it costs to make tools like this to instead hire more writers." A number of other writers have voiced their concerns that this could be the start of AI taking on much more than just NPC barking, as well as noting that NPC dialogue is where many writers start their careers.

What do you think about Ghostwriter? Interested to see what comes from it? Drop a comment below and let us know!

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Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.