Xbox use of AI could mean the end of game guides and YouTube videos

Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI advisor is coming to Minecraft, which could be the first step in making game guides redundant.

In late 2023, Microsoft fully embraced artificial intelligence when the Xbox maker entered into a partnership with Inworld AI, with the aim to create an ‘AI toolset to assist and empower creators in dialogue, story, and quest design.’

A year later and now Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI system is being added to Minecraft, with other games expected to follow.

The AI system is designed to advise players and help them out when they get stuck, by analysing their inventory and monitoring how they play – which sounds like bad news for game guide YouTube channels.

A video demonstration has the player saying they want to make a sword, to which the AI responds: ‘To craft a sword, you’ll need some materials. Can you open you inventory? Just press ‘E’ on your keyboard.’

The AI goes on to identify the player’s inventory and concludes that they need to get some more wood or stone to craft a sword.

Another video, shared by the Microsoft Copilot Twitter account, shows the player attacked by zombies. When asked what they are by the player, the AI says:

‘Oh, no! It’s a zombie. Run, you need to get away from it fast. Either sprint away, or quickly build a tower of blocks straight up to get out of its reach.’

Real personality. Effortless interactions. The ability to see what we see.Â â¨

Iâve long argued that AIs with EQ, IQ and AQ are coming. Hereâs the first real glimpse of whatâs its gonna feel like.

Itâs a magical experience: smart, intuitive, natural, and useful.

— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) May 20, 2024

The announcement doesn’t say when the Copilot AI will be added to Minecraft, other than it’s ‘coming soon’, but Microsoft AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, adds:

‘Microsoft changed computing history by inventing a new category: the Personal Computer or PC. Now we’re re-inventing PCs for the AI era, taking us from personal computing to truly personal intelligence.

‘Today we’re launching a new product category: Copilot+ PCs, the biggest update to Windows in its 40 year history, the fastest and most powerful AI ready PCs anywhere.’

If the AI works as well as in the demonstrations, when fully added to Minecraft it could make online game guides and YouTube tutorials redundant.

At the moment only Minecraft support has been added but if it works out it seems inevitable that it will be added to all games, especially given how keen Microsoft is on AI in general at the moment.