Michelle ThompsonHiber3D has incorporated Google’s AI tools, allowing creators to input their desired content through text and subsequently generate immersive online worlds.
Certain game developers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to streamline and expedite the creative process while also reducing costs. During the Google Cloud Next event in San Francisco, the startup Hiber unveiled its integration of Google’s generative AI technology within the Hiber3D development platform. This integration is designed to simplify the content creation process within games.
Hiber’s objective in implementing AI is to assist creators in constructing more extensive online realms, often referred to as metaverse platforms. Hiber3D serves as the underlying technology for the company’s HiberWorld virtual platform, which already boasts an impressive catalog of over 5 million user-generated worlds, all achievable through its no-code-required interface.
Hiber CEO Michael Yngfors explains that with the introduction of their new generative AI tool, creators can now use natural language to input prompts. This allows them to instruct the Hiber3D generator on the type of virtual worlds they wish to create. Moreover, creators can generate worlds based on their emotional state or to align with the ambiance of a particular film.
Michael Yngfors, Hiber’s CEO, expressed to Decrypt that generative AI is poised to eliminate the final barrier to creativity. He explained that people possess innate creativity, but sometimes they encounter obstacles and struggle to find inspiration. However, Yngfors believes that AI will democratize creativity and unlock the creative potential that resides in each individual.
Hiber, based in Gothenburg, Sweden, was founded in 2017 and provides a suite of tools for crafting immersive online environments. Notably, in July, the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger launched its Tommy Parallel metaverse experience on HiberWorld, allowing stylish creators to showcase their fashion in a 3D setting.
Generative AI encompasses tools that use prompts to generate various forms of content, such as images, text, music, and videos. Other notable companies in the industry using generative AI to construct virtual worlds include Roblox, Meta, NVIDIA, and Activision Blizzard.
HiberWorld is not the sole metaverse platform exploring the integration of AI to simplify the creative process. In March, Oncyber unveiled Magic Composer, an AI-driven tool that leverages OpenAI’s ChatGPT to enable users to generate environments through text-based prompts. Even the social media giant Meta has been discussing comparable functionality in relation to its own metaverse aspirations.
Through a partnership with Google Cloud partner and AI consulting firm Datatonic, Hiber employs Google’s Cloud Run and PaLM large language models to deliver an immersive create-and-play experience tailored for the broader public.
Google Cloud’s Director of Game Industry Solutions, Jack Buser, expressed that this collaboration with Hiber and Datatonic enables the harnessing of advanced real-time generative AI capabilities. This, in turn, allows players to immerse themselves in virtual worlds exactly as they envision them.
Sean Kauppinen, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Hiber, cautioned against overly hyping generative AI as the ultimate solution for all challenges. Instead, he suggests that developers should view it as a “stepping stone” towards more significant advancements.
Kauppinen explained, “With every technological evolution or revolution, a lot of people will embrace the idea that AI is a magical fix that will completely revolutionize everything. However, in reality, each technological advancement or revolution represents a step in the right direction towards the next major breakthrough. It’s about people recognizing the importance of taking those initial steps.”
