Inworld AI Character Grants will award up to $1,000,000 in grants to innovators who love experimenting with new tech and want create new experiences with AI characters
SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 – Inworld AI, a creative suite for building AI characters, today announced the Inworld AI Character Grants. The new program will award up to $1,000,000 in grants to innovators who want to broaden their creative palette with AI, be at the forefront of immersive entertainment, and bring new stores, characters, and experiences to life. Each project will receive up to $50,000 to incorporate Inworld into new or existing games or immersive experiences. The judges include award-winning writer and futurist Neal Stephenson, Mountaintop Studios CEO & Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell, film producer and former Lucasfilm executive Kiri Hart, and Academy-award winning designer and Inworld Chief Creative Officer John Gaeta.
Inworld uses advanced AI to build generative characters whose personalities, thoughts, memories, and behaviors are designed to mimic the deeply social nature of human interaction. These characters can carry on unscripted, open-ended conversations, experience emotions, respond to triggers, remember shared lore or brand knowledge, and pursue their own goals. Characters can easily integrate with any avatar or character visuals and major game engines.
Applicants will experiment with Inworld to create immersive experiences and virtual worlds that incorporate AI characters. Examples may include:
- Open worlds populated by generative NPCs, RPG simulations, or experiences that push emergent gameplay
- Characters from movies, books, music, or TV, translated into interactive entertainment experiences, trailers, or promotions
- Brand activations or e-commerce experiences with digital ambassadors and sales agents
- Educational and corporate training and simulations led by digital facilitators and tutors
Applications are being encouraged from game developers, designers, immersive artists, experiential storytellers, AI enthusiasts, and tech innovators. Grants will be awarded to those who can leverage Inworld’s paradigm-shifting capabilities to generate new game mechanics, more immersive gameplay, and more complete worlds.
“We’re excited to see Inworld characters unlock new experiences in gaming, entertainment, and the enterprise” said Kylan Gibbs, Inworld co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “The creative possibilities of generative AI are endless, so we welcome applications that push the boundaries of storytelling and interactive entertainment. For us, the more innovative and experimental, the better.”
John Gaeta, Inworld Chief Creative Officer added: “This is a chance to be at the forefront of an emerging artform, and create something the world has not yet experienced. These grants can be obtained by any creator or company, known or unknown, that are able to propose a unique, compelling, innovative or smart concept, approach or new application. More than just persona creation, an AI character mind can influence the expressiveness, behavior, performance, motives and actions of virtual characters. The possibilities are endless. So, we are challenging people to lean in, take some risks, and have fun doing that.”
About Inworld AI
Inworld AI is a creative suite for building AI characters for gaming, the metaverse, VR/AR, and immersive experiences. Inworld’s founders pioneered conversational AI platforms and generative models at API.AI (acquired by Google and now known as Dialogflow), Google, and DeepMind. The company continues to build its talented team, with experts in generative language models, emotions, speech synthesis, multimodal interaction, design, and 3D animation.
Inworld is funded by investors including Section 32, Intel Capital, Founders Fund, Accelerator Investments LLC, BITKRAFT Ventures, First Spark Ventures, The Venture Reality Fund, Kleiner Perkins, CRV, Meta, Microsoft’s M12 fund, Micron Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, NTT Docomo Ventures, and SK Telecom Venture Capital. Inworld was one of six companies selected for the 2022 Disney Accelerator. For more information, visit https://inworld.ai.
