PUBG Is Getting An AI-Powered Companion For Players To "Converse And Strategize With"

Summary

• PUBG: Battlegrounds to introduce CPCs, AI-powered companions for players to interact and strategize with.
• Krafton plans to implement CPCs to enhance gameplay in PUBG: Battlegrounds and inZOI simulation title.
• The AI technology in gaming is causing controversy, but Krafton is pushing boundaries by embracing AI with CPCs.

AI remains a controversial topic within the gaming world. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 came under fire for using blatant AI-generated artwork in one of its bundles, and SAG-AFTRA members are striking over a lack of protection against artificial intelligence. It's a hotbed of issues for the creative industry.

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But, while some companies are choosing to shirk the technology for those reasons, others are choosing to embrace it, with PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton sharing details of a new AI feature that will allow players to "converse and strategize" with a non-human entity.

PUBG: Battlegrounds To Introduce "Ally", An AI-Powered Companion

Announced at CES 2025, PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton announced it is teaming up with Nvidia to create what it calls Co-Playable characters or CPCs, which "utilize AI to communicate with players and with each other." Krafton says, "Unlike traditional NPCs (Non-Player Characters), CPCs are equipped with the ability to interact and cooperate with users, as they understand and respond to game situations in a human-like manner."

The company shared how it planned to implement CPCs in PUBG: Battlegrounds, saying, "CPCs will introduce a new SLM-powered (Small Language Model) companion called “Ally” that can communicate verbally and team up with the player. Players can converse and strategize with their AI-powered CPC companion just like they would a human teammate, greatly enhancing gameplay."

Players can converse and strategize with their AI-powered CPC companion just like they would a human teammate,

Alongside PUBG: Battlegrounds, Krafton confirmed CPCs would be coming to its simulation title inZOI, where citizens of the games will be CPCs who "follow fashion trends, spread rumors, develop reputations and more."

While no date for the implementation of CPCs has been confirmed by Krafton, the company will likely be one of the first to use this kind of technology in its games, thus pushing the rush for AI even further.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

WHERE TO PLAY

The game that sent the battle royale genre into the stratosphere, PUBG Battlegrounds drops you onto one of several maps with the aim of looting and surviving to the very end. It features plenty of weapons, maps, and vehicles, as well as tense gunplay.