Unity, a company known for its game development platform, has announced the formation of a new AI Council. The initiative aims to guide the company's innovation in artificial intelligence. The first two members appointed to the council are Jia Li of LiveX AI and Julian Togelius from New York University and modl.ai.
The council's primary function is to bring together prominent figures in the AI field with Unity's product leadership. This collaboration is intended to accelerate the development and improve the quality of AI-powered tools and features within the Unity ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- Unity has established an AI Council to accelerate innovation in its products.
- The first members are Jia Li, co-founder of LiveX AI, and Julian Togelius, a professor at NYU and co-founder of modl.ai.
- The council will advise Unity's leadership on integrating advanced AI into its platform for game and interactive content creation.
- The move reflects a broader industry trend of leveraging AI to transform content development.
A Strategic Push into AI Development
The creation of the AI Council signals a strategic focus for Unity as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the technology and gaming industries. The company aims to provide developers with the most advanced tools for creating interactive content in what it calls "the next era of interactive content creation."
Matt Bromberg, President and CEO of Unity, highlighted the significance of this development.
"AI is transforming our industry and accelerating the volume and pace of game creation. We’re dedicated to providing the best platform in the world for the next era of interactive content creation. We’re excited to welcome Jia and Julian, and look forward to their insights."
By forming this advisory body, Unity is positioning itself to stay at the forefront of AI advancements, ensuring its platform evolves to meet the changing needs of creators across gaming, extended reality (XR), and other interactive media.
Unity's Role in the Industry
Unity (NYSE: U) provides a comprehensive suite of software tools used to create and operate interactive, real-time 3D content. Its platform is widely used for developing video games for mobile devices, PCs, and consoles, as well as for applications in industries like film, automotive, and architecture.
Inaugural Members Bring Diverse Expertise
The initial appointments to the council bring deep experience from both commercial AI development and academic research. Unity has stated that it plans to add more members to the council in the upcoming months, further broadening the range of expertise available to its leadership team.
Jia Li: Focus on Advanced AI Agents
Jia Li is the co-founder, president, and chief AI officer of LiveX AI, a company focused on developing sophisticated, human-like AI agents. Her background includes significant roles at major technology firms and academic institutions.
Before her work at LiveX AI, Li was the founding global head of R&D at Google Cloud AI. She has also taught artificial intelligence at Stanford University. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with the distinction of being named an IEEE Fellow. Li is also the co-founder and chairperson of HealthUnity Corporation.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the new role, Li stated, "I am thrilled to join Unity's AI Advisory Council. I believe the future of AI is multimodal and interactive and we have a real opportunity to enable creators and businesses to build living, breathing worlds."
"Unity's strong ecosystem across mobile, PC, console, and XR makes it the perfect platform to drive this transformation," she added. "I look forward to contributing to a future where dynamic content can be designed and deployed on any platform, providing completely personalized user experiences."
Julian Togelius: Pioneer in Game AI Research
The second inaugural member, Julian Togelius, brings a wealth of knowledge from the intersection of gaming and artificial intelligence. He is an associate professor of computer science and engineering at New York University (NYU) and an IEEE Fellow.
Togelius is also the co-founder of modl.ai, a company that develops game-playing AI agents specifically for quality assurance testing. His academic research has been influential in several key areas:
- Game AI: Developing intelligent non-player characters and systems.
- Procedural Content Generation (PCG): Using algorithms to create game content like levels, maps, and items automatically.
- Computational Creativity: Exploring how AI can generate novel and creative artifacts.
- Player Modeling: Creating systems that adapt game experiences to individual player behaviors.
Two Decades of Experience
Julian Togelius has spent over 20 years researching and developing new applications for artificial intelligence within the context of video games, making him a leading authority in the field.
Togelius shared his perspective on the council's potential impact. "Advances in AI are opening up huge opportunities for game development and interactive experiences that were previously out of reach. Unity is uniquely well positioned to enable these innovations."
"As someone who has spent two decades researching and developing new ways of using AI in games, I'm extremely excited to contribute my expertise to the Unity AI Advisory Council," Togelius said.
Future Outlook for AI in Content Creation
The establishment of the AI Council is a clear indicator of Unity's commitment to integrating AI more deeply into its core offerings. For developers using the platform, this could lead to new tools that simplify complex tasks, enable the creation of more dynamic and responsive worlds, and automate parts of the development process like testing and content generation.
As the council expands, its guidance will likely influence Unity's product roadmap, shaping the future of a platform used by millions of creators worldwide. The company's focus on AI reflects a significant shift in how interactive experiences are being built, moving towards more intelligent, adaptive, and personalized content.
