Microsoft has slowly been instilling Minecraft into all sorts of different markets since it bought Mojang back in 2014, moving "from a simple game to a project of monumental significance" – and the next step seems to be artificial intelligence.
The sandbox game is said to be a much more affordable option for computer scientists to use, and will be ready for AI testing from July onwards.
Microsoft also claim that while Minecraft is much cheaper to use than putting together a sufficient computer to handle such artificial intelligence testers, it also offers more complex research simulations.
Gamers may be wondering just what these developments could do for the Mojang title going forward. After all, we've all had a situation where you feel like a helping hand could be of use, could this AI help us out in some way?
"People build amazing structures that do amazing things in Minecraft, and this allows experimenters to put in tasks that will stretch AI technology beyond its current capacity," explained Katja Hofmann, leader of the project at Microsoft's lab – which is based in Cambridge, UK.
"But eventually, we will be able to scale this up further to include tasks that allow AI agents to learn to collaborate with humans and support them in a creative manner."
Projects such as these, like Minecraft's move into the education system, has been a lightning rod for public opinion, with many experts commenting on the concept.
Jose Hernandez-Orallo, professor, said: "Kids could create agents in a world they are already fascinated with, and play with them.
"This could boost young people's interest in artificial intelligence, and we expect that in the next 10 to 20 years we are going to need more people working in the area."
Now, not many people are actually aware of how AI works, especially in terms of Minecraft. Matthew Johnson, principal software engineer for AIX, explained: "It allows you to have 'embodied AI.' So, rather than have a situation where the AI sees an avatar of itself, it can actually be inside, looking out through the eyes of something that is living in the world.
"We think this is an essential part of building this kind of general intelligence."
This seems to be very much a long-term project for Microsoft/Mojang, but who knows, maybe in the near future we might just have a bot by our side; helping us build a huge castle, harvesting crops or even better, hunting down creepers for you!
