This Week in Startups

Giving NPCs the power of AI with Convai's Purnendu Mukherjee | E1839

Nov 2, 2023

Purnendu Mukherjee, CEO and co-founder of Convai, brings his expertise from NVIDIA to the forefront of gaming innovation. He discusses how AI is revolutionizing non-playable characters (NPCs), allowing for dynamic personalities and deep interactivity. Mukherjee delves into the balance of character consistency and innovative mechanics while addressing the ethical implications of AI in gaming. With insights on character customization and meaningful player relationships, this conversation paints a thrilling picture of the future of gaming and emotional engagement.

50:21

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Episode guests

Purnendu Mukherjee

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Open source can incentivize niche data contribution through licenses and blockchain technology.

AI-powered NPCs in gaming enhance player engagement, storytelling, and immersion, but ethical considerations arise.

Deep dives

The Power of Open Source and Incentives for Niche Data Contribution

Open source can thrive by creating an incentive system for people to contribute niche data. This can be done through licenses that allow users to input their own data and earn a percentage of the data pool. Centralization may be required to implement this system, and blockchain technology can play a role in facilitating the process.

Intro

4min

Enhancing NPCs with AI Innovation

5min

Enhancing NPC Interactivity with AI

2min

AI-Driven Character Customization

7min

The Future of AI in Gaming: NPCs That Build Relationships

3min

AI in Gaming: Costs and Innovations

10min

Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI Survival Objectives

4min

The Future of AI: Opportunities and Challenges

14min

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Today’s show:

Convai CEO Purnendu Mukherjee joins Jason to discuss creating AI-powered NPCs using Convai (6:05), the birth of generative AI (22:17), open-source vs. closed AI (36:01), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Convai CEO Purnendu Mukherjee joins Jason

(3:54) The motivation behind Convai

(6:05) Purnendu breaks down creating an NPC character using Convai

(10:16) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://equinixstartups.com

(11:36) Demo of character creation using Convai's unique toolset

(17:18) Integrating AI Characters into Game Worlds with Convai

(20:50) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist

(22:17) Convai’s business model and the issue game developers have with moving from flat rate to usage-based charges

(25:00) Purnendu reflects on his time at Nvidia

(29:57) The birth of the generative AI boom

(34:30) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups