Video: Embracing the dark art of mathematical modeling in AI

Courtesy of the GDC Vault comes a free lecture on utility-based AI and the mathematical modelling used to calculate AI's complex behavior, from specialists Kevin Dill of Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics and Dave Mark of Intrinsic Algorithm. In a follow-up to their presentation at GDC 2010, Dill and Mark return to GDC 2012 to offer a more advanced lecture on how utility-based AI can handle large numbers of selections dynamically. They champion programming modular decision making "considerations" for AI (such as calculating distance), which can then be reused in various parts of the game design. Session Name: Embracing the Dark Art of Mathematical Modeling in AI Speaker(s): Kevin Dill, Dave Mark Company Name(s): Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics, Intrinsic Algorithm Track / Format: AI Summit Overview:Utility-based AI is a widely-used approach, particularly for games with deeper or more complex behavior. While new users may find utility functions complex and intimidating, experienced users see them as a natural and comfortable way to express behavior. In a follow-up of their 2010 lecture, Kevin Dill and Dave Mark will show how simple problems can be laid out quickly and easily using common design patterns. Additionally, they will show how complex situations can make use of utility functions to express more nuanced behavior. They will then walk through real-world examples, showing how they would be expressed in a utility-based architecture.

About the GDC Vault

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