Getting to grips with a new computer game usually involves some trial and error.
Now researchers are using Minecraft as a tool to test the abilities of artificially intelligent avatars – but the game, loved by youngsters around the world, is proving to be rather a challenge for the machines.
Currently, five computer scientists have been trying to get their AI Minecraft character to climb a hill.
While on the face of it, this might not seem like a Herculean task, the character has to learn how to perform tasks - such as climbing to a highpoint in the pixelated virtual world, itself - using the same types of resources a human has when we learn a new task.
'That means that the agent [character] starts out knowing nothing at all about its environment or even what it is supposed to accomplish,' wrote Microsoft's Allison Linn in a blog post.
'It needs to understand its surroundings and figure out what's important – going uphill – and what isn't, such as whether it's light or dark.
'It needs to endure a lot of trial and error, including regularly falling into rivers and lava pits.
'And it needs to understand – via incremental rewards – when it has achieved all or part of its goal.'
Fernando Diaz, a senior researcher in the New York lab working on the project, said the aim is the let the character learn instead of programming it to accomplish specific tasks.
The researchers are using AIX – a platform developed by a team at Microsoft's Cambridge lab – which allows computer scientists to use the world of Minecraft as a testing ground for conducting research designed to improve artificial intelligence.
The platform consists of a modification for the Java version of the game and code that helps artificial intelligence agents sense and act within the Minecraft environment.
The two components can run on Windows, Linux or Mac computers and researchers can program their agents in any programming language they are comfortable with.
It will be available as an open-source license from this summer.
Katja Hofmann and her colleagues, who developed AIX, came up with the idea of using Minecraft because other more simple games for AI research were limited.
The popular computer game offers players endless possibilities, from walking around to building a structure with teammates.
'Minecraft is the perfect platform for this kind of research because it's this very open world,' Dr Hofmann said.
'You can do survival mode, you can do "build battles" with your friends, you can do courses, you can implement our own games. This is really exciting for artificial intelligence because it allows us to create games that stretch beyond current abilities.'
While computers can now recognise images and translate speech, for example, the next big challenge is to master 'general intelligence,' which is similar to the way humans learn and make decisions.
Currently, a computer algorithm may be able to take one task and do it as well or even better than an average adult, but it can not compete even with infants when it comes to multiple inputs.
So it struggles, for example, with a combination of light, smell, touch, sound and discomfort, making it difficult for the machine to learn how to respond to them advantageously.
'The things that seem really easy for us are actually the things that are really difficult for an artificial intelligence,' said Robert Schapire, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research.
Minecraft lets players make complex decisions that have consequences and add increasingly difficult elements as they become more skilful players.
It could be used to find out with how humans and AI avatars could work together.
'It's a digital playpen for artificial intelligence, Mr Diaz said.
'It's an environment in which we can develop an algorithm for teaching a young artificial intelligence to learn different concepts in the world.'
WHAT IS MINECRAFT?
Minecraft was created in 2009. At the start of the game, a player is put into a 'virtually infinite game world.'
They can then walk around different terrains, including mountains, forests and caves. Players can also fly up in the air for a birds-eye view of the landscape.
Players are given blocks and tools to build towns and cities.
As a player progresses they can earn advanced tools and building blocks in different materials.
The game was initially made for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available.
Now researchers are using Minecraft as a tool to test the abilities of artificially intelligent avatars – but the game, loved by youngsters around the world, is proving to be rather a challenge for the machines.
Currently, five computer scientists have been trying to get their AI Minecraft character to climb a hill.
While on the face of it, this might not seem like a Herculean task, the character has to learn how to perform tasks - such as climbing to a highpoint in the pixelated virtual world, itself - using the same types of resources a human has when we learn a new task.
'That means that the agent [character] starts out knowing nothing at all about its environment or even what it is supposed to accomplish,' wrote Microsoft's Allison Linn in a blog post.
'It needs to understand its surroundings and figure out what's important – going uphill – and what isn't, such as whether it's light or dark.
'It needs to endure a lot of trial and error, including regularly falling into rivers and lava pits.
'And it needs to understand – via incremental rewards – when it has achieved all or part of its goal.'
Fernando Diaz, a senior researcher in the New York lab working on the project, said the aim is the let the character learn instead of programming it to accomplish specific tasks.
The researchers are using AIX – a platform developed by a team at Microsoft's Cambridge lab – which allows computer scientists to use the world of Minecraft as a testing ground for conducting research designed to improve artificial intelligence.
The platform consists of a modification for the Java version of the game and code that helps artificial intelligence agents sense and act within the Minecraft environment.
The two components can run on Windows, Linux or Mac computers and researchers can program their agents in any programming language they are comfortable with.
It will be available as an open-source license from this summer.
Katja Hofmann and her colleagues, who developed AIX, came up with the idea of using Minecraft because other more simple games for AI research were limited.
The popular computer game offers players endless possibilities, from walking around to building a structure with teammates.
'Minecraft is the perfect platform for this kind of research because it's this very open world,' Dr Hofmann said.
'You can do survival mode, you can do "build battles" with your friends, you can do courses, you can implement our own games. This is really exciting for artificial intelligence because it allows us to create games that stretch beyond current abilities.'
While computers can now recognise images and translate speech, for example, the next big challenge is to master 'general intelligence,' which is similar to the way humans learn and make decisions.
Currently, a computer algorithm may be able to take one task and do it as well or even better than an average adult, but it can not compete even with infants when it comes to multiple inputs.
So it struggles, for example, with a combination of light, smell, touch, sound and discomfort, making it difficult for the machine to learn how to respond to them advantageously.
'The things that seem really easy for us are actually the things that are really difficult for an artificial intelligence,' said Robert Schapire, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research.
Minecraft lets players make complex decisions that have consequences and add increasingly difficult elements as they become more skilful players.
It could be used to find out with how humans and AI avatars could work together.
'It's a digital playpen for artificial intelligence, Mr Diaz said.
'It's an environment in which we can develop an algorithm for teaching a young artificial intelligence to learn different concepts in the world.'
WHAT IS MINECRAFT?
Minecraft was created in 2009. At the start of the game, a player is put into a 'virtually infinite game world.'
They can then walk around different terrains, including mountains, forests and caves. Players can also fly up in the air for a birds-eye view of the landscape.
Players are given blocks and tools to build towns and cities.
As a player progresses they can earn advanced tools and building blocks in different materials.
The game was initially made for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available.
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