On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Julian Togelius, a professor of computer science at NYU and director of the NYU Game Innovation Lab. We delve into how games serve as the perfect sandbox for AI development, the potential for generative tools to revolutionize production workflows, and how the future of play might involve infinite, procedurally generated worlds that adapt to every player's unique style. Among other things, we discuss:

How AI researchers leverage the inherent fun and learning mechanisms within video game environments
Whether the financial markets function as a complex game requiring the same reinforcement learning strategies used in digital play
If consumer backlash against AI-generated assets will ultimately give way to the promise of faster and more ambitious development cycles
What possibilities exist for truly open-ended games that utilize real-time world generation to create infinite, personalized player journeys
How the role of the game developer shifts toward system architecture and critical thinking as coding becomes increasingly automated
When and if world models will transition from impressive tech demos to foundational tools for interactive entertainment

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Season 7, Episode 16: AI and video games (with Julian Togelius)

Mobile Dev Memo Podcast

Season 7, Episode 16: AI and video games (with Julian Togelius)