NVIDIA's latest AI feature is in-game help

If you've ever wanted an AI assistant to do make sure your PC is optimized for whatever game you're playing, NVIDIA may have the answer. The company is showing off a new demo called G-Assist, a GeForce-powered AI chatbot that might one day help reduce the more tedious aspects of gaming.

G-Assist performs a couple of key functions around both setup and directly in games. In a demo running inside ARK: Survival Ascended, NVIDIA shows it answering queries like «what's the next early game weapon and where do I find the crafting materials for it.» In response, it points out that the best one is a spear and describes how to gather wood, flint and fiber to make one.

Some purists might see that as cheating, but another G-Assist tool looks to be less ethically fraught. If you ask it to optimize settings for a game like Cyberpunk 2077, it can do things like directly apply the highest quality graphics settings. It can also analyze your system as a whole and recommend changes like boosting your 4K monitor refresh rate from 60Hz to 144Hz.

NVIDIA has used the G-Assist name before for a 2017 April Fool's joke, saying the AI would play games for you in «Ghostplay» mode while you went to pay for a pizza at the door. The new G-Assist can't do that, but it could still be helpful by eliminating the busywork needed for system optimization. It's just a demonstration for now, but NVIDIA is actively signing up developers interested in learning more about the project.

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