Gaming your approach by way of a PhD: ‘Studying video games isn’t just cool, it is vital’

Did you realize that there may be a Game Research Lab at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS)? ‘Something we’d take a look at are algorithms that construct one thing in a sport. Like a home in Minecraft,‘ illustrates Müller-Brockhausen the work they do within the group. ‘That algorithm could even be helpful in different purposes.’  

For one in every of his tasks, Müller-Brockhausen wished to grasp how AI can play the sport Tetris Link. ‘I compared different algorithms to find out what the best way is to approach the game,’ he explains. ‘This helps us evaluate and improve AI algorithms.’ 

He then continued by combining two methods (see field). ‘RL has the promise to present us novel, usually surprising outcomes that PCG would not have give you by itself,‘ he says. ‘You can evaluate it to ChatGPT. That can solely remix no matter enter it has realized from. But RL may invent totally new issues. I exploit this for instance to generate chatter for a personality in a sport.‘  

Barbero’s work is complementary. ‘I look at how people play games and then use that to improve AI. We actually have an office Playstation that contributed to a scientific paper! We had people play a game and talk out loud what they were thinking and doing. We analysed their approach to figure out which steps are difficult for the AI.’ 

He additionally appears to be like at AI in schooling. ‘Students use AI on a regular basis. It is vital that we discover ways to use it effectively and perceive potential dangers,’ Barbero explains. ‘For instance, I take a look at prohibiting the information an AI offers a pupil, so they do not get your entire answer handed to them on a plate.‘  

Both PhD candidates educate their very own course subsequent to their analysis. ‘It is a lot of work to manage everything in the first years, but now I find it very fulfilling,’ says Müller-Brockhausen. ‘Students enjoy the topic and really go above and beyond.’