AI in Gaming: What Happens When Characters Can Talk Back?

From scripts to improvisation

Games have used AI for decades: enemies patrol, companions follow you, and opponents choose when to attack. Traditional game AI often follows rules and decision systems built by developers. It can be complex without generating new dialogue.

Generative AI learns patterns from training data to produce new material, such as text. A language model can create a reply using your question, a character’s background and information supplied by the game. That lets you try your own words instead of picking a dialogue option.

But “thinking for themselves” is a shortcut. Fluent conversation does not prove a character has human understanding or feelings. And generating “I’ll open the gate” is different from actually opening it: the game must connect language to actions it allows.

What can you actually play?

Available now: AI Dungeon is a text-based roleplaying experience where you type actions or speech and the AI generates what happens next. You can also edit the story yourself. It demonstrates how players can steer an unfolding adventure, though it is different from a fully simulated 3D world.

Closed testing: Ubisoft unveiled Teammates in November 2025. In this experimental shooter, players could speak to companions Sofia and Pablo, directing them to take cover or attack. An assistant called Jaspar could explain story details and change settings. Ubisoft reported a closed playtest; this is evidence of a playable experiment, rather than a feature you should expect in every Ubisoft game.

Time-limited public beta: PUBG’s Ally Duo paired players with an AI companion, Ella. Its June 2026 patch notes listed a PC testing window from June 17 to July 1 and required a compatible NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card. Players could communicate with Ella by voice. That dated beta should not be mistaken for a permanently available mode.

Could every adventure become different?

The exciting possibility is that interaction becomes less like navigating a menu. You could ask follow-up questions, explain an unusual plan or approach a character differently on another playthrough.

New quests could go further. Imagine a merchant proposing a rescue mission because of something you said. That is a possible design direction, not a confirmed feature of the examples above. Writing a convincing quest description is only one step: the game also needs valid locations, achievable goals and rewards that do not break its balance.

For players who enjoy creating stories, this could open more room to experiment. Still, endless variation is only valuable if the choices lead somewhere interesting.

Freedom comes with friction

Generated replies can contradict the story or stop making sense. AI Dungeon’s own guide explains how to edit mistakes and retry derailed responses. Developers need boundaries and testing so that improvisation does not ruin a mystery or produce inappropriate dialogue.

Privacy matters too. Cloud-based conversations involve processing your input outside your device. AI Dungeon explains that stored story text must be decrypted for its model to process it. Players should know what is sent, stored and used, especially before sharing personal details.

There are practical costs. Running models takes computing resources; local systems can demand capable hardware, while online services have ongoing running costs. AI Dungeon notes that retries also spend credits when you use a credit-based option. Waiting for a reply can interrupt the action.

Who shapes the characters?

Writers still matter. Ubisoft describes authors defining personalities and story boundaries within which characters improvise. The work can shift towards designing those boundaries and checking unexpected interactions.

That does not settle concerns about jobs or creative control. GDC’s 2026 survey found that 52% of respondents viewed generative AI’s industry impact negatively. That measures opinion, rather than proving AI caused specific job losses.

My hope is for characters that give players more meaningful choices, with human creators steering the experience.

Would you rather have a character that improvises or one whose story is carefully scripted?