Cross-game avatar platform Ready Player Me is testing generative AI avatars. This trial will see users able to craft their very own generative avatar outfits.
AI has always been prevalent in the technology world, but recent months have seen the buzz surrounding the AI topic take off to a new level. With the likes of ChatGPT and DALL-E. which are both AI tools created by OpenAI. It’s no surprise the company is now expected to see a huge increase in valuation.
Users can test the new generative system now through Ready Player Me Labs. This lab will act as the testing area for new creative ideas on avatar design. It’s a simple process where you select your avatar’s outfit and then type in a keyword. AI will then search for something related to that word and boom! You have yourself an item of clothing fitting with the theme of the word.
AI designs
Trying the AI avatar creation is simple and easy to use. As for the results, well for the most part they are fitting with the keyword you enter; the AI does a good job of connecting the result to the word you entered. However, it’s worth noting that the AI text prompt mentions the word ‘texture’ and that seems more fitting with your result. For example, when we typed in more general descriptions, we got a more accurate result. However, if we typed in a very specific type of imagery the results were sometimes odd.
Overall though, it’s interesting to see these generative AI tools being used in different ways. Rather than someone having to design hundreds of clothing designs for these avatars, an AI can just source something for the user based on a simple word. By utilising DALL-E, users are able to pick and choose what designs they want in a far more specific way. While the results may not always be perfect, you can just hit the button again to see what else it can come up with.
CEO of Ready Player Me, Timmu Tõke spoke with GamesBeat saying, “Generative AI will definitely change how 3D content is created and avatars are created. We are aiming to be at the forefront of that and understand how things are changing and then change ourselves with that.”
AI and the metaverse
Ready Player Me currently has more than 6,000 apps and games signed up to its platform. With a goal to be the main provider of avatars in the metaverse. One aspect of the metaverse which often captures people’s minds is the sense of freedom. You can look however you want and wear what you want. so pairing AI that could essentially offer users endless texture designs feels like a great fit for the metaverse.
Tõke also spoke on this commenting, “Giving users full control over how they want to present themselves in the metaverse has always been a high priority to Ready Player Me. We want those using our avatars to feel like they are digitally represented in whatever style and fashion they desire. In order to achieve the diversity of outfits and styles, we see AI as critical to unlocking new workflows and processes for our team to scale and continuously build tools and services for developers and users to build things we can’t even imagine. Labs are the first step in the reinvention of developer workflows, thanks to AI.”
It seems that more companies, who perhaps at first had no desire to explore AI are now seeing its potential uses. Imagine taking this idea further into the metaverse, users could customise homes and cars with AI generative designs. Others such as Kinetix are using AI features to help create animation emotes for video games.
