For gaming and casino operators, the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) as a business tool could not come at a better time. As governing agencies continue to expand the reach of online and brick-and-mortar gambling sites, putting AI to work can lead to opportunities for regulatory agencies and industry to co-exist.
AI is more than the overarching villain in the Terminator movies. Skynet isn’t a definitive future when AI is deployed.
Rather, “it can be used for really good or really bad means and it comes down to policies and the ethical usage of artificial intelligence” David Brace, principal at Continent 8 LLC, said at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas in earlier this month.
Continent 8 provides managed hosting, connectivity and cybersecurity solutions for the global online gambling industry.
AI is Great, but ‘We need humans’
Using AI for good can have many different looks. The technology is currently at its best when used to analyze large data sets. For instance, think about how people interact with Google or Netflix. They’ll enter a search term – “best cheeseburger near me” or “find action movies” – and both platforms use algorithms to sort through previous queries or data that has been uploaded to spit out answers. “Culver’s” or “Die Hard” might be the answers.
Pulling from thousands to millions and billions of bits of data, the AI learns to sort the answers based on available information. You click on the answer provided and it – poof – adds another data point into the mix.
The gaming industry is no different from any other business. Jason Lim, chief digital officer, Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT), advised people not to fear losing jobs to AI. “We need humans involved,” he said at G2E. “When we get a person combined with AI tools, that is an ideal world.”
AI Aids in Understanding Customers
Think back 10 years ago when video slots began to emerge, Lim said. Five years ago, we saw more intellectual property. Now, slots are much more entertainment focused than just spinning a wheel. Deploying AI has allowed companies to understand what players want, rather than just guessing or observing a gaming floor he said.
AI allows operators to see behavior patterns in players through data collected via loyalty cards or online applications. “We can see if players want more risk and bigger payouts or if they want to play for a longer time. As an industry we can use AI to understand the players better,” he added.
Gaming and casino operators have a wealth of data at their fingertips through loyalty play, online action and location data. But sorting through that mountain of information is more than time consuming. It is also daunting when you consider the types and sort of information available. Demographic information, time of day, length of play, style of play, interactions, disengagement, and so much more is available. But how do you separate the wheat from the chaff?
AI Could Personalize Slots
This is where AI can make KYC easier for operators. Once uploaded, AI tools can sort through that mountain of data and provide the sort of information that used to take months to go through. Operators can sort by all of the categories above and also get incredibly granular to help engage customers where they want to be.
But beyond data sorting, AI can be a useful tool for operators looking to change up their offerings. Lim said creating new slot machines used to take 12-18 months. It took multiple steps to craft a viable new game, and included several steps with mathematicians and graphic designers.
Now, game designers can use AI-graphic creation tools. Enter the parameters for the game and AI can create images based on the inputs, saving up to three months of development time.
“This doesn’t replace the graphic artist because you need someone to implement an original version of the AI-created image,” Lim said. “It enhances their capabilities.”
Looking ahead, Lim saw personalization through AI taking a huge leap. He predicted that with AI, we may soon see games generated on the fly based on what the player wants to see – if someone likes Asian-themed spin games, they can make something solely for themselves that fits their gaming profile.
