Ital.IA Lab: AI and Gaming Course kicks off.
Videogame characters are increasingly more realistic and, thanks to generative artificial intelligence, are capable of speaking and interacting. Developers have increasingly sophisticated tools to create avatars with “facial expressions that are driven by audio sources, automatic vocal recognition and real-time interaction without rigid scripts.” Moreover, “GenAI will reduce production costs and prototyping times by automating certain functions.” Journalist Luca Tremolada reports on news from CES 2024 in Las Vegas on economic daily "Il Sole 24 Ore" (Jan. 14, 2024): "Our impression is that the videogame industry will lead to the first experiments capable of wedding GenAI with virtual reality. The current virtual influencer phenomenon is only a clue of what is emerging in gaming labs.” Soon, “mechanical” videogame characters will be a distant memory. And the students participating in the course dedicated to the development of videogame with the support of GenAI will get a sneek preview.
The AI and Gaming Course for 117 students from six schools kicks off today. The five Roman schools (Morgagni, Plinio Seniore, Giovanni XXIII, Maria Ausiliatrice, and Via Silvestri 301) have chosen to participate in the PCTO course. The sixth school is the Liceo Artistico Porta Romana in Florence.
The AI and Gaming course, which is part of Programme Ital.IA Lab promoted with Microsoft, is based on 30 hours subdivided as follows:
- 18 hours webinar (9 two-hour meetings every Wednesday from Jan. 24 to March 20)
- 3 hours on-site at the Innovation Gym (to be scheduled)
- 9 hours independent work
The history of video games and artificial intelligence will be analysed during the lab to orient students towards new training and career possibilities in the gaming sector. The challenge will be to design a video game prototype with artificial intelligence systems. Students will work in teams of up to five people with Coach Lara Forgione, VR/AR developer, instructor at RUFA - Rome University of Fine Arts and the European Institute of Design (IED), and an expert coach at the Innovation Gym (Game Lab).
