We take a look at the incredible pace at which AI is advancing instant video creation with lifelike models and what it could mean for personalised online gambling in the near future.
The online casino industry’s love affair with cutting-edge technology is well documented. Not only have casino software developers been some of the first adopters of the internet, mobile, and streaming video (for live casino games), but they were champing at the bit to take full advantage of the blockchain, cryptocurrencies and even non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
That being said, we have yet to see any public demonstrations of what they have been up to regarding the recent advancements in large language model (LLM) technology.
LLM is the code that underpins what is commonly referred to as AI these days, even though we are not yet at the point where the technology is fully self-aware, which is what the term ‘artificial intelligence’ triggers in those of us who grew up watching The Terminator and other dystopian sci-fi adventures.
Nowadays, a more commonly accepted use of the term AI is a system that mimics human intelligence, rather than being conscious in and of itself.
Not being afraid to dream, we have toyed with how various emerging technologies, including AI and the blockchain, could be harnessed to create intensely personalised and vivid online casino experiences.
The use of LLM has seen incredible advancements in voice cloning and model creation. Today, websites like Freepik offer free, if not limited, access to AI-powered tools that can create still images and even short videos in seconds. While sites like ElevenLabs provide access to thousands of voice models, including the ability to clone your own voice, for around $5 per month.
Even if you are unsure of how to prompt AI - these programs return the best results with detailed commands called prompts - you can use a free tool like ChatGPT, which can create prompts for you on the fly.
Creating high-quality audiovisual content has never been easier or more cost-effective than it is today, thanks to advancements in large language models (LLMs).
While some tools may offer access to video creation, these videos have lacked the depth that would make them appealing to a broader audience. There is a concept known as the “uncanny valley,” which refers to the uneasy feeling that humans experience when interacting with something that appears or acts human-like but creates an unsettling, even eerie, sensation in the viewer.
Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term in the 70s, while describing the elation of seeing something that appears human, only to feel yourself fall into a ‘valley of discomfort’ as you realise something isn’t quite right.
With recent AI-generated videos, the unnatural nature of the way people move, speak, and even twist their limbs has made them fun tools to play with, but nothing that would be taken seriously.
It is easy to point out the flaws in these instant videos, but their advancement has been nothing short of breathtaking when viewed against the backdrop of video animation as a whole.
Here is a simple timeline of how rapidly the discipline has advanced.
The first recorded hand-drawn animation dates back to 1906, when J. Stuart Blackton used a blackboard to create the world's first animation on film. This was followed up in 1914, nearly a decade later, by Gertie the Dinosaur, which was the first time a story was told using the newly minted medium.
By the 1920s, short animations were becoming common asides in the movie theatre experience, but it would not be until 1928 when they would become considered mainstream. This was thanks to Disney releasing Steamboat Willie, which marked the start of the company’s regular production of animated features featuring Mickey Mouse and friends.
The world of animation truly came into its own in December 1937, with the release of the beloved film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film employed rotoscoping, a technique that involves tracing over live-action footage, to ensure realistic movements, thereby bypassing any concerns related to the uncanny valley.
The industry remained relatively unchanged for the next 54 years, until 1991, when Disney pushed the envelope once again, using 3D computer animation to bring Beauty and the Beast to life. This is most notable in the incredible sweeping ballroom dance scene.
It would not be until 2024 when Google announced its AI video model, known as Veo-3, that we would see a groundbreaking new approach to video creation - one that, more than any of the others, stands to shake up multiple industries, including online gambling.
In an incredible leap forward for the medium, we have progressed from creating barely human still images with AI to producing true-to-life instant videos with sound, characters, and settings in the same amount of time it took hand-drawn animations to progress from possible to showing up in movie theatres on occasion.
AI image generation was first introduced to the market in 2016 and became widely accessible by 2018. By 2024, Google was allowing limited access to its Hollywood production-level video creator, Veo-3.
Here are some of the reasons that Veo-3 is causing such a stir:
When Veo-3 is released for broader use, pairing it with voice creation tools and AI chatbots could bring us closer to creating interactive settings with historical, fantasy, and other virtual hosts or holographic dealers in real-time.
For online casinos, this would be the ideal time to begin introducing personalised pit bosses and even virtual dealers, allowing players to enjoy online slots, crash games, table games like roulette and blackjack in any setting and with any support personnel they can imagine.
In a world where you can engage intelligently with anyone, past, present, or mythological, who would you want to spend the night gambling with? Your dream could come true sooner than you think!
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