---
title: "This Roleplaying AI Makes a Great Dungeon Master"
description: "OpenAI's new artificial intelligence uses its GPT-2 algorithm to make the perfect roleplaying game for users. Meet your new dungeon master."
date: "2019-12-06"
modified: "2020-07-27"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/roleplaying-ai-game-dungeon-master"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
tags:
  - "artificial intelligence"
  - "the digest"
  - "video games"
---

# This Roleplaying AI Makes a Great Dungeon Master

![A new roleplaying game uses a powerful AI algorithm to generate a text-based adventure in real time. And unlike past versions, the story makes sense.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/weird-roleplaying-ai-great-dungeon-master.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## ReRoll

When AI development firm OpenAI released its GPT-2 algorithm, [it warned](<https://futurism.com/amazing-new-ai-churns-out-coherent-paragraphs-of-text>) that the tech was capable of flooding the internet with fake news and propaganda. What it didn't predict, however, is that the algorithm can also make a pretty effective dungeon master.

AI Dungeon 2 ([playable here](<https://colab.research.google.com/github/nickwalton/AIDungeon/blob/master/AIDungeon_2.ipynb#scrollTo=YjArwbWh6XwN>)) uses the [full-sized GPT-2 algorithm](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-released-ai-dangerous-share>) to bring players through a text adventure-style game that it writes in real-time based on the player's prompts and commands. The game isn't perfect — in my playing, it for some reason decided to name every single character "Dan" — but it's fascinating all the same to let a powerful AI system take the wheel and steer the game's journey.

## It's Learning

AI Dungeon 2, created by engineer Nick Walton, is a far cry from [a similar game](<https://slack-redir.net/link?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuturism.com%2Ftext-adventure-game-neural-network&v=3>), called GPT Dungeon, built around a substantially weaker version of GPT-2. GPT Dungeon, made by Northwestern grad student Nathan Whitmore, was largely incoherent, but the stronger algorithm allows AI Dungeon 2 able to retain and remember settings, characters, and other basic elements of storytelling that [usually elude artificial intelligence](<https://slack-redir.net/link?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuturism.com%2Fscripts-written-ai-hilarious-fake-how-to-spot-difference&v=3>).

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ai-adventure.png>)
**Dan overload detected.**

Playing the game, I spent most of my time trying to get to the bottom of the whole Dan situation, following a mysterious Dan to a neighboring village, and delighting in a feast of fresh vegetables.

Meanwhile, AI scientist Janelle Shane [wrote in her blog](<https://aiweirdness.com/post/189511103367/play-ai-dungeon-2-become-a-dragon-eat-the-moon>) and [tweeted](<https://twitter.com/JanelleCShane/status/1202968242286784512>) about a much more exciting adventure, in which she ate the moon, competed in a baking contest with giraffes, and befriended skeletons.

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed credit for developing the text adventure games. It has been updated.*

**READ MORE:** [Play AI Dungeon 2. Become a dragon. Eat the moon.](<https://aiweirdness.com/post/189511103367/play-ai-dungeon-2-become-a-dragon-eat-the-moon>) \[*AI Weirdness*\]

**More on AI text adventures:** [A Neural Network Dreams up This Text Adventure Game as You Play](<https://futurism.com/text-adventure-game-neural-network>)

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)