MMOs sure can get lonely when you’re grinding for loot and experience into the wee hours of the morning. Occasionally you’ll run into a stranger and hit ’em with a /wave, or at least get ganked enough to break up the monotony—but that’s nothing compared to a real conversation, right? Well, if you happen to play the mostly Japan-exclusive MMO Dragon Quest X, you’ll be able to get an even bleaker facsimile of real human interaction very soon.
As reported by Japanese newspaper Sankei (and machine translated by Google Chrome), Square Enix is teaming up with Google to add a “conversational AI” companion called Chatty Slimey.
“When a player talks to Slimey using the chat function, it automatically generates voices and engages in conversation,” Sankei explained. “The AI also analyzes information from the game screen, and Slimey may even initiate conversations when a powerful enemy is defeated or a rare item is obtained. A beta test is planned, and applications for participants are being accepted until [March] 30th.”
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