Artificial intelligence in minecraft. Experiments with artificial intelligence in Minecraft. And it's all

The fact that Microsoft uses Minecraft as a landfill for testing and learning its own artificial intelligence system. Now this project entered the public domain and each can try it in the work.

The developers say that the Systems of the AI \u200b\u200bcurrently serve to understand or transfer human speech, recognizing persons and creating their own text. However, the ultimate goal of developing such systems is the creation of a "complex artificial intelligence" - systems capable of learning and make decisions based on their own experience.

And from this point of view, Minecraft turned out to be the perfect field: a practically endless world, in which there are dangers and tremendous opportunities for creation. Why a simplified model of the world does not become an area in which artificial intelligence will live and study?

The project was called Malmo (the name most likely comes from the name of a large Swedish city, because Minecraft himself also comes from Sweden) and it can already be downloaded and try to use it. True, in order to establish an artificial intelligence system for minecraft, you will have to strain your own.

How to install Malmo.

How to use Malmo.

Now is the time to try the system in action. Since the set is supplied with scripts for Malmo immediately in several programming languages, you can use them. I will turn to the module on Java, but I think the essence will be the same.

So, first of all, you need to run Malmo (i.e., run LaunchClient.Bat). Well, and then run the javaexamples_run_mission module.

This is done by the team (I created a small BAT file):

java -cp malmojavajar.jar; javaexamples_run_mission.jar -djava.library.path \u003d. Javaexamples_run_mission

True, at the same time I had problems with the fact that the libraries of Malmojava.dll, located immediately in the folder with an example, was "invisible" for Java. As a result, I copied it to some kind of directory, which is spelled out in the PATH variable and everything started normally.

It looked like this: Suddenly, the Minikeft window reduced the size, some kind of world opened, and there was some movement of the character in it. At the same time, messages were written to the console, and after some time everything froze.

Actually, you can see it here:

And it's all?!

Well, actually at this stage - it's really all. Those. Included with Malmo there is no ready-made artificial intelligence that would take the solution for you, I would build a city, caught fish and hunted on bears (especially since Malmo lags behind the usual minecraft and works on version 1.8, not 1.10).

The most important thing is how I understand it is a tool that will allow developers to create a system that will "see minecraft" as a person. Those. To interact with the world of minecraft through the Malo, it will be necessary to rely on the actions of the species "look under the legs, if something looks like a lava not to go there," and not to access the blocks directly using their coordinates. By sending the team to Chat, it will be necessary to analyze the written text, and the like written in response. Well, the most important thing is to do it all this can be used by the environment of the development to which you are accustomed.

Of course, I can be wrong - I have not yet looked into the documentation and did not try to write my script for Malmo. But I will definitely try to do it and then I will tell you more.

But what about Malmo for Minecraft Pocket Edition?

After I downloaded Malmo, I was most surprised that it was based on minecraft for PC. The development of the MCPE ruler has a greater development priority and I now believe in a more quick appearance of an official programming tools in MCPE than in the appearance of the Pluginapi promised many years ago for an ordinary minecraft.

Company Microsoft. Announced its plans for the use of the Universe as a platform for the development and testing of artificial intelligence systems. According to the site, the new platform created by scientists will already be available for everyone.

A group of specialists from the Microsoft research laboratory in Cambridge has developed a system called AIX. The team of scientists is convinced that the infinite features of Minecraft can become an ideal "digital polygon" for testing artificial intellect.

For example, scientists tried to create AI, which could learn how to focus on the terrain and climb on the highest point of the virtual world, using the same reasoning as a person.

« The object of the study appears in the world that absolutely nothing knows about. He must independently understand that he surrounds him and understand when it rises upstairs. Of course, during the trip it will not cost without mistakes, such as drops in the rivers, pits. The most important thing is that the object should understand its goal and when it reaches it."Explain the researchers.

Of course, the above example is only one of the set. Scientists hope to combine existing workings in the field of artificial intelligence to create a complex system that can be tested in a rich virtual world.

As the site has become known, the AIX creators are already offering their product to the scientific community of the whole world. The developers plans to start the large-scale distribution of the system under an open source license in the summer of this year. Software will be available for Windows, Linux or OS X.

In improving software for students and artificial intelligence, creating its virtual Minecraft landscapes.

According to the Microsoft Research researchers working on the Malmo project, Minecraft has more "sophisticated" capabilities compared to IA emulators, and the cost of adapting the game for use in the experiment is less than any similar developments.

One of the experts emphasizes that the game has a huge potential. "This is an exceptionally advanced solution," says Professor José Hernandes-Orallo from the Technical University of Valencia, a participant in one of the small groups of researchers who were the first to access the experimental software. - There is no longer anything like this. Considering that this is just the beginning, the system has huge prospects. "

To take part in the experiment, users must install AIX - interacting with Minecraft software platform, which allows the II code to manage the character and evaluate the results of its actions. AIX is an open source program, consequently, the cost of participation is just the price of a standard license to the game.

The experiment will be carried out on computers of researchers, "fenced" from other players. In this case, experimenters will be able to change the program code.

"People create unprecedented structures with amazing opportunities in Minecraft, which will allow experimenters to increase the potential of the AI \u200b\u200bmodules," Katja Hofmann) explains Katja Hofmann (Katja Hofmann), the head of the Malmo project in the MSR laboratory in Cambridge. - And over time we can go even further and add tasks that will allow AI agents to learn to help people, expanding their creative opportunities. This will allow us in the coming decades to achieve our goal: raise the AI \u200b\u200bfrom the current level to the level close to human intellect. "

With my own eyes

Playing the video games of the program with elements II has been taught for a long time. But in this case, Microsoft seeks to use such a feature of Minecraft as openness. She will give them the opportunity to "see" what is happening in the first-person game.

"This allows us to implement" personalized AI, "says Matthew Johnson, a leading programmer of the AIX project. - In other words, in our case, the AI \u200b\u200bdoes not observe their avatar from the outside, but no matter how inside and sees the eyes of one of the entities living in the game world. We believe that this is an important step towards modeling common intelligence. "

Researchers suggest that one of the main directions of their work will be trained by samples and errors in which the AI \u200b\u200bagent does not simply fulfill instructions, but learned to find optimal solutions to the tasks based on the previous experience and expanding it in the process of interaction with the environment.

This approach uses the Alphago program, which recently beat one of the best players in th, after spending thousands of competitions with itself, while studying new strategies.

Microsoft believe that Minecraft provides wider opportunities for the development of AI compared to the training of a specific game.

"Experimentants should use such elements of the game as a lava that represents a special danger to the player agent, and evaluate the pace in which he will learn to recognize environmental objects," said Katya Hofmann in an interview with BBC. - But the platform is open and for more general studies of AI, for example, in agents you can add language and visual functions. We consider our work as the first step in the development of technology that will be applied when building robots, and now we have the opportunity to check it in a safe, fully controlled environment, with minimal costs. "

Basics of II

In MSR, they emphasize: despite the fact that the AIX platform is focused on specialists in the field of AI, it will also allow you to create simple programs to even children, and with time on AIX there will be a variety of training materials.

"We want to attract to the experiment of people of different ages with various mentality," says Johnson. And Professor José Hernandes-Orallo explains the idea: "Children will create agents in their favorite worlds and play with them. This will increase interest in artificial intelligence, and we expect that in the next 10-20 years more and more people will work in this region.