A public Microsoft patent shows that the company is exploring the function of letting AI assistants intervene and play Xbox games on their behalf. When players encounter obstacles, they can hand over control and let cloud AI complete difficult challenges.According to a patent titled "Video Game Help Session State Management," Microsoft is exploring a cloud-based system that would allow players to summon an assistant, either a real person or an AI model, when they encounter difficulties.
This is fundamentally different from the summoning mechanism or multi-person cooperation for help in the "Dark Souls" series. AI will completely replace the player's operation and complete difficult levels independently.
Interestingly, the leakage of this patent coincides with personnel changes in Microsoft's game department. Microsoft's game department welcomed a new head Asha Sharma last month, and its predecessors Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond have resigned.
Sharma recently publicly promised not to inject soulless AI garbage into the Xbox ecosystem, claiming that he has zero tolerance for inferior AI.
However, the patent was actually submitted in 2024, before Sharma took office. Whether it can finally be implemented depends on the standards of the new leadership for AI game applications.
Microsoft is not the only manufacturer exploring AI for playing games. Sony has also recently applied for a patent for a ghost player assistant, which also has the function of taking over games.
It should be noted that patent documents only protect concepts, and technology giants file thousands of similar applications every year, most of which are never transformed into actual products.
Moreover, this type of design has also caused controversy: If AI can replace users in playing games, will the player's own sense of accomplishment and game fun be lost?
