AI, or Artificial Intelligence, as an industry has been growing at an incredible rate for decades. Ever since Arthur Minsky and John McCarthy (allegedly) first coined the term in the early 1950s, and via the likes of Arthur Samuel and Alan Turning among others, AI has been evolving exponentially year on year. However, it can be argued that the rise of Generative AI over the last 18 months or so has taken this evolution to a whole new level. Generative AI - a brand of AI capable of creating images, videos, audio, and even whole essays of text in seconds - is now being used across a vast array of different industries worldwide. But how exactly does it work, and how is it being used in our day-to-day lives?
In this blog, we will discuss the rise of Generative AI. We will outline the apps and services that brought it to the world’s attention in 2022, and the impact it is set to have in 2023 as more services begin to use this advanced new technology. We will also explain how Ludo has made use of Generative AI in its existing research tools.
What Is Generative AI?
Generative AI is a truly remarkable piece of technology. This new advancement uses a series of complex, constantly learning algorithms to learn from this data. This makes it capable of exploring a wider array of possibilities and allowing it to generate increasingly unique content. The intuitive nature of this new brand of AI has sparked both excitement and controversy. Commentators have been impressed by how quickly Generative AI can learn using such vast datasets, producing unique and complex content in a fraction of the time it might have taken a human being. Other experts have spoken excitedly about its ability to interact on a nearly-human level in its use within virtual assistant software and online chatbots. However, there are also fears that this new technology could be capable of replacing humans in certain industries. But where is this technology currently being used, and which services are leading the way?
Where Is It Being Used?
2022 saw this new branch of AI gain widespread notoriety. As a result, as we head into 2023 Generative AI technology is increasingly appearing in a vast range of industries. One of the most significant ways this technology is being used is in the natural language processing (NLP) field. The likes of chatbots, virtual personal assistants, and even AI-generated blogs exist within this space. Simply put, NLP centres on Generative AI’s ability to understand and ultimately generate human language and text. As we will discuss when analysing companies that are already having a major impact in their use of this new technology, ChatGPT is currently a major proponent of NLP and is causing quite a stir in the industry. Virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant all also use NLP alongside machine learning to engage in intuitive ‘conversations’ with users and generate answers to queries in seconds. This brilliant article on the IBM website breaks down just how impressive the technology behind NLP is!
NLP was by no means the beginning, or the end, of how Generative AI can and will be used. Several services have emerged that also use this unique brand of AI to generate images, videos, and even full-scale audio compositions using the technology. As a result, Generative AI has become a big player in the marketing world. It can produce marketing text incredibly efficiently, such as blog posts and other related articles, as well as dynamic social media posts and adverts. Generative AI is also being used to great effect in the games industry. At Ludo, we are using this new technology to assist developers in creating characters, worlds and mechanics. Ludo’s Top Charts Blender is just one example of how the platform is using this technology, allowing you to create unique game concepts using existing, trending games from the Trends Charts feature.
But what other services are also making an impact with Generative AI?
Generative AI Services Already Making An Impact
As mentioned above, a huge player in the field of Generative AI at the moment is Open AI’s unique NLP service - ChatGPT. This tool uses this new branch of AI to have fully interactive conversations with human beings. It can understand what a human being is saying or asking, either by text or through spoken word, and respond in an intuitive and (almost) human-like fashion. Through its use of complex algorithms and machine learning, this tool is only becoming more accurate and intelligent as it continues to learn from conversations it has had with other human beings. Whether you’re looking to generate large amounts of text for a project you are undertaking, or just want to start up a conversation for fun, this is certainly a service that will evolve over the next 12 months.
Image generator services have also had a huge impact on the world over the last year. One such service is Midjourney. This is an independent research lab that, under the same name, has produced an AI-powered image creator. The service entered open beta in July last year, and the alpha iteration of its latest version was made available later in 2022. From a technical perspective, it is a remarkable piece of software. It uses what is known as the Stable Diffusion model within Generative AI alongside Machine Learning to create unique images based on a user’s description of the image they want. Midjourney is definitely one to watch as we progress through 2023 and beyond.
There are many other companies that have made an extraordinary impact on the world through their use of Generative AI over the last year or so. But which services are the ones to watch as we progress through 2023?
Ones To Watch In 2023?
The success of the two aforementioned companies has led to other services popping up this year whose developers are looking to follow suit. From NLP services to image generators, there are some incredible companies to keep an eye out for in the coming months.
Jasper AI is an NLP service that is able to create a wide array of text content at remarkable speeds. Like many chatbots, Jasper can create blog posts, marketing copy and conversational articles in seconds. This service is also able to create SEO-optimised marketing and sales content for businesses, and it has also entered the image generation market making it an all-in-one Generative AI platform. Jasper AI is already being used by some very reputable organisations for their content creation, and is set for an impressive 2023.
Other services looking to follow in the footsteps of those who took 2022 by storm include Character.ai, another unique conversational AI service, and Astria, which offers some of the most detailed and realistic image generation available to consumers right now. Musico, an AI-powered music generation service capable of creating hours of non-copyright audio files, is another exciting service to keep an eye on.
For a rundown of even more Generative AI services to watch this year, head over to dealroom.co!
The Rise and Rise of Generative AI!
The companies mentioned above will certainly not be the only services to look out for as we progress through 2023. This year looks set to be a seismic one for this exciting new technology, with further advancements emerging every day. While Generative AI is an incredibly exciting development in the world of AI, and also for the corporate world on the whole, it continues to spark concerns from some corners of the industry. Some fear it could displace certain jobs through its ability to automate, and ultimately streamline, certain actions, while others are worried about how secure it is as cyber-attacks become more sophisticated. We will know the full extent of the security concerns until further advancements are made. When it comes to fears surrounding employment, Generative AI will likely both displace job opportunities and create exciting new ones! Artificial intelligence still means exactly that - artificial - and it is unlikely that this exciting new technology will ever be able to entirely replace the soft skills present in human beings. It is, however, undoubtedly an exciting period in the development of Generative AI.
Our very own CEO of Ludo, Tom Pigott, delivered a keynote speech at the fantastic Pocket Gamer Connects in London on the 23rd January, all about how Generative AI will transform the games industry.
As ever, Ludo and exciting new features go hand in hand! We have already started integrating Generative AI into our existing tools, and there has never been a better time to join as further advancements are made. As we embark on an exciting year for Generative AI, and the games industry as a whole, make Ludo a part of it!
As we embark on an exciting 2023, make Ludo a part of it!
