EA claims that giving videogame characters "life and persistence" outside of games with artificial intelligence is a "profound opportunity," which is the type of talk that can lead to dangerous Holodeck failures

EA is also a company that is embracing generative AI. EA's chief strategy officer Mihir Vaidya demonstrated some of the generative AI concepts that the company has been developing at an investor conference today.

One of the demos included a large language-model-powered NPC that was based on professional soccer player Jude Bellingham. Fake Bellingham described the experience of Real Bellingham playing at Bernabeu Stadium as "like a dream coming true". It was surreal to step onto the pitch for the very first time. I grew watching Real Madrid. I played as them with my brother Joe in EA games, so to play for real before all those fans is something you can't describe."

You can watch the video here to see it for yourself. But I can't deny it sounds like a real athlete would've said it, because they're known for their non-answers. I don't think generative AI NPCs that remix text from the web will ever be more than a novelty. But EA has already planned for a future where these simulated persons not only talk to us through videogames but also escape prisons to join us in a broader digital universe.

Vaidya said, "Even in this early stage we can't resist imagining the range of interactions now possible with more believable character like Jude." "Certainly within the context of a video game, but possibly beyond games altogether." As our lives become more digital and the internet becomes more spatial, it is not difficult to imagine bringing our favorite characters into other contexts of our digital lives. For example, social media, news, online shopping, online education, or even those FaceTime calls you have with your parents where you show them how to fix the laptops they own for the hundredth.

Unlike Vaidya I find it difficult to imagine bringing an AI footballer, or any AI character into a FaceTime call with my parents. I'm not saying that he is wrong--I don't know what the future will bring--but I struggle to see why these AI pairings are so obvious. Why would I want videogame AI characters to be involved in news? Garrus Vakarian: Election updates?

It's also a question of whether we should fill our lives with generative AI robots. I remember the hologram doctor in Star Trek Voyager being alright, but other than that, I can't recall any good things coming from characters who broke the Holodeck rules. We're not likely to be fighting Holo-Moriarty over control of the Enterprise. But, becoming emotionally attached with a chatbot can have serious consequences.

Should videogame companies embrace the imaginary relationships that develop with videogame characters, by removing them from their entertainment context and integrating fully with our digital life?

It sounds like we will find out what the case is.

"We believe that the opportunity to give our characters and those created by our players, life and permanence beyond the boundaries of games, is a profound one, and few people are better positioned to realize it over the long-term," Vaidya concluded.