AI has been a hot topic throughout 2023, with generative AI also gaining momentum as a new tool in many developers’ belts. Now, Niantic has announced a new update to its 8th Wall platform that will bring generative AI tools to those developers using its services.
AI opportunities
Niantic first acquired 8th Wall 18 months ago in March 2022 to expand the reach of its Lightship technology and tools. The 8th Wall platform itself, remaining a distinct offering, continues to be used to empower developers to create real-world AR metaverses and provide them with the tools necessary to create such experiences.
The newly added generative AI tools aim to further streamline processes and ease development, with 8th Wall’s and Inworld AI’s integration modules included, as reported by GamesBeat. Designed with intuitive integration in mind, the modules function in tandem with existing AI tech; 8th Wall’s OpenAI gives developers a simpler means of including ChatGPT for item generation, for example.
Niantic isn’t the only big player in gaming looking to generative AI. Roblox, for example, began rolling out AI technology to its creators earlier this year and has seen a "positive start" in AI utility among them.
In Niantic’s case, two projects have been newly introduced as samples, showing off AI characters, texture samples and more. Inworld’s Rainbow Crunchies lets developers test AI-based interaction with its original character, meanwhile an OpenAI project allows developers to apply AI textures to AR objects.
"What excites me most about integrating Generative AI into Augmented Reality is that it empowers every user to become an architect of their digital world. They’re no longer passively consuming content but actively creating it, shaping their experiences with the power of their imagination," said 8th Wall XR developer Ian Curtis.
Niantic has already been dipping its toes into AI in June, when the Pokémon Go developer released a mixed-reality experience seeing players follow an AI-enabled owl named Wol.
We listed Niantic as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023.
