Unity Pushes Forward with AI Development Tools: Muse Now in Early Access

Unity’s Commitment to AI

Despite the ongoing debate surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in games development, Unity is determined to embrace AI-powered features. In line with this, the company has announced that Muse, its suite of AI-driven features, is now available for early access.

Unity has been proactive in incorporating AI into its engine, partnering with AI-driven asset creators and introducing the Muse suite earlier this year. Muse is designed to assist users by utilizing AI to generate content.

Meeting Developers’ Needs

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Marc Whitten, the president and general manager of Unity Create, expressed Unity’s eagerness to pursue AI integration by stating the company’s goal to “meet developers where they are, help them, and keep them in control.” He emphasized the desire to enable developers to iterate and experiment faster for enhanced game experiences.

Muse Features and Future Tools

Muse’s initial three features include:

Muse Chat: Helps developers find resources within Unity, including usable code.
Muse Sprite: Generates 2D sprites with multiple variations.
Muse Texture: Creates textures for use in 2D or 3D games.

Unity plans to introduce additional tools such as Muse Animate (for character animations without code), Muse Behaviour (for character interactions), and Muse Sketch (a “3D canvas for rapid prototyping and team collaboration”).

Furthermore, Unity is set to launch Unity Sentis, which allows programmers to embed an AI model with their game or app’s Unity Runtime, enhancing it across various devices. Unity 6, formerly known as Unity 2023 LTS, will debut Sentis in 2024.

Safeguarding Copyrights and Responsible AI Development

Unity acknowledges the concerns surrounding AI toolsets and their training datasets. To address this, for example, Muse Sprite and Muse Texture are “trained entirely on data and images that Unity owns or has licensed.” The company avoids copyrighted materials or recognizable artistic styles through a carefully controlled multi-step process involving human oversight and machine learning.

Muse Chat employs external large language models and custom scaffolding systems to understand queries and provide responses based on Unity’s resources or those that have been “consensually sourced.”

Whitten stresses that Unity is committed to managing AI capabilities transparently and responsibly. The company aims to deliver user-friendly tools with responsibly sourced outputs that creators can confidently incorporate into their projects.

Indemnifying Developers and Maintaining Developer Control

Unity announces at Unite that they will indemnify developers who use the Muse tools, addressing potential concerns and offering support.

Whitten clarifies that Unity Muse is a separate product from the engine and highlights that developers can still use Unity as they always have. He compares Muse to other tools like Speedtree, which uses procedural generation for plants and vegetation, reiterating Unity’s commitment to keeping creators at the center of the creative process.

Unity’s Bid to Regain Trust

Today’s Unite event marks Unity’s first major developer gathering since the controversy surrounding runtime fees in September. The fallout from the fee plans contributed to the departure of CEO John Riccitiello. To regain developers’ trust, Unity has pledged to focus on areas of greatest importance to creators, particularly engine-related advancements, as demonstrated by the news of the upcoming launch of Unity 6.

Unity seeks to listen to and understand the challenges faced by its community while providing effective solutions.

Final Thoughts

The ongoing debate about the impact of AI on the developer landscape is understandable. However, Unity aims to enrich the creative process by offering AI tools that empower and supplement developers. By maintaining transparency, responsible sourcing, and support for creators, Unity hopes to push the boundaries of innovation while respecting the roles and contributions of developers.

Unity’s commitment towards ethically obtained AI tools