Less than a few decades ago, we marvelled at the incredible tools and inventions in science fiction series like Star Trek and considered them fanciful and completely unbelievable. Today we walk around with "digital communicators" which control our finances and our jobs, can create art, and so much more.
Recently we experienced a rapid shift in the momentum behind technological advancements with the creation of large language model AIs like ChatGPT, AI art tools like Midjourney and video rendering Deepfake technology.
We explore combining these innovations to predict the future of online gambling. Join us as we delve into a “what if” world where we have the processing power to make anything we can imagine a virtual reality.
Create Your Own AI Casino Hosts
In a world with the necessary internet speeds and computer processing power to combine high-level chatbot AI with optimised Deepfake video technology, you could load up your favourite online casino and have a personalised Pit Boss greet you at the door.
This allows you to take the silly icebreaker idea of "pick anyone to have dinner with, living or dead, historical or fictional", and bring it to life online. This perfectly voice-acted and motion-captured representation of your ideal host would help set the tone for your next online gambling session.
They would ask about your day, explain the latest casino bonuses, and update you on any news in the online gambling space it “knows” you enjoy chatting about.
Unreal Online Casino Experiences
With your bonuses in tow and your head full of the latest news, you will set up the world for your next gaming session. By combining the next generation of ChatGPT and AI-art creator Midjourney, you would tell the Pit boss what your world should be.
Imagine telling Friar Tuck (your AI host) that you want a Robin Hood-themed online gambling session. Instantly the world you see through your virtual reality headset transforms into a lush forest filled with deer, birds and other gentle animals, medieval architecture is outlined against the morning sky, and the sounds of a vibrant village fill the air.
You can now walk through the village with different parts of the casino like the Cashier, various casino games and gift shops themed to be parts of the town with NPCs (non-player characters) to talk to you about your choices and get you set up to play.
Casino Games You Can Only Dream Of
Having a customisable setting comes with the option to evolve the games we play online to match the world we want to enjoy. The AI could create unique experiences for you to enjoy based on real-world preferences.
Skill gaming could be translated into a bow and arrow game where Robin Hood is a no-show, and you must shoot the apple off another character's head to save the day and reap big rewards.
Games of chance could include sitting at a riverbank racing wooden boats downstream or a relaxing afternoon fishing in your favourite virtual lake. Who knows, you could catch a record-breaking fish you sell in town for cash, hook a super valuable item of gear for your avatar or maybe land a stinky boot.
You could still enjoy a few hands of blackjack, but now it could be in a tavern where you play live blackjack against other players you allow into your world.
Want to play dice? Head down a seedy alley and play against increasingly more “talented” rogues. Sure, you win less often, but the treasure trove you claim is far more valuable when you do.
Clever, Safer Gambling Implementation
With AI being able to track and respond to your tone, body language, and general mood, this immersive world could also be one of the safest online gambling environments imaginable.
Keeping with our medieval-themed world, the AI could choose to playfully enforce time in-game limits by having your back alley dice game busted by the Sherriff of Nottingham. You could find your avatar placed in the stocks to keep you from playing till the rest period is over. If you choose to take a break yourself, you can always have your favourite performers put on a virtual show for you at the local tavern.
When you reach your loss limit for the day, you could have a cut purse "steal" your coin purse to stop you from betting anymore. Naturally, some friendly NPC will return it to you when the timed event ends.
You could even have the banker close his “money lending” window to stop you from making additional deposits. These interactive events would be a fun way to enforce responsible gambling practices and give the world a sense of life and reality.
Science Fiction or Science Fact?
As outlandish and incredible as these casino games and gambling experiences may sound, the scenarios we created all used the potential of tools we already have access to daily. Deepfake technology allows you to overlay the voice and face of any well-recorded person in history; AI art generators can already create any art in any style at the press of a button, and virtual reality allows us to take that art and build a world around it. Finally, language AI will allow us to have honest conversations in real time. We need the processing power and widespread adoption of these tools to make your dream world your real life.